Students contribute to City of Toronto climate action projects through °µĶųTV āLiving Labā course
How can Toronto better integrate climate considerations into building procurement and management? Can the city achieve net-zero emissions without harming low-income and equity-deserving homeowners and tenants? What have other cities learned from their attempts to implement climate policies?
These are some of the questions that 56 University of Toronto graduate students recently explored on behalf of City of Toronto staff and managers, as well as the Atmospheric Fund, a regional climate agency that supports low-carbon solutions across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Areas.
The studentsā work is part of a seminar ā āSustainability in the World: A Living Lab Courseā ā offered by the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy as part of the master of public policy and master of global affairs programs. Living lab courses are part of the universityās .
Sofia Padernal, a master of public policy student, said she didnāt know much about sustainability policy going into the course, but was drawn by the opportunity to work with a City of Toronto client on a real topic.
āSometimes our ideas were very idealistic, but our client would bring us back to reality and tell us, āI donāt know if thatās feasible,āā said Padernal.
āBeing able to work with someone who first-hand works in government and policy gave us real insight and perspective into how things work.ā
From left to right: Hilda-Matilda Idegwu, Jessica Armstrong and Sofia Padernal (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)
The °µĶųTV course is taught by John Robinson, professor in the School of the Environment and at the Munk School, and co-chair of the President's Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability (CECCS). He said it offered students the chance to undertake work that will make a real contribution to the cityās TransformTO Net-Zero Strategy.
āAll the projects come from City of Toronto and The Atmospheric Fund staff, so they reflect the real challenges faced by the city in attempting to realize their very ambitious climate targets,ā he said.
āThe students have been keenly engaged, knowing full well that their projects address real-world problems and that their work has a real chance of influencing the City of Torontoās climate strategy.ā
Robinson noted that the course is a component of the °µĶųTV node of the Urban Climate Action Network (UCAN), which involves universities partnering with their host cities to help them achieve their climate targets. UCAN was conceived as part of °µĶųTVās involvement in the University Climate Change Coalition (UC3). The course is also one of several āLiving Labā initiatives at °µĶųTV that enable students to contribute to and learn from sustainability-oriented projects.
Professor John Robinson, left, teaches āSustainability in the World: A Living Lab Courseā (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)
Students recently presented their work to their clients by outlining their analysis and recommendations on 12 different topics ā all relevant to the . (See the full list of topics below)
As part of their presentation on āUnderstanding the Social Equity Implications of Decarbonization in Existing Buildings,ā Padernal and her fellow group members ā Jessica Armstrong, Michelle Gandhi, Hilda-Matilda Idegwu and Jacob O'Connor ā noted that Torontoās poses challenges for equity-deserving groups. For example, building owners may try to pass on the cost of retrofits to low-income tenants and some homeowners may not be able to afford energy-efficiency upgrades.
After studying government documents, policy briefs, academic literature and materials from other Canadian and U.S. jurisdictions, Padernalās group generated five recommendations: adopt a methodology to track sustainability and equity measures; develop a green program to provide green job training; create a retrofit accelerator program to give landlords and building owners the supports and resources needed to carry out retrofits without passing on the costs to tenants; and set up a sustainability tenant advocacy board.
āThe existing building strategy is an ambitious and essential program that will evidently lead to Torontoās Net Zero Economy while transforming the housing landscape,ā the group stated in their presentation. āThe consideration of how its nine key actions affect the livelihood of equity-deserving groups should be considered at each stage.
āThe co-benefits are endless as long as risks are mitigated.ā
City staff ask students questions during presentations on a range of sustainability topics (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)
The students concluded that their recommendations āare key in ensuring that the social implications of decarbonization in existing buildings do not pose a threat to Torontoās existing housing affordability crisis.ā
Padernal said working on a project that contributes knowledge to an active policy goal has made for a fulfilling experience.
āThrough the feedback our clients gave us throughout the process as well as after the presentation, it felt like they valued our recommendations,ā Padernal said, noting that the idea of creating a tenant advocacy board seemed to resonate especially well.
āIām hopeful that theyāll take some of our ideas into consideration. But even if they donāt, I hope they continue to put an equity lens into the policies that they do implement.ā
Ana Maria Medina, project manager in the City of Torontoās Environment & Energy Division (EED) and the client assigned to the group, said she appreciated the groupās efforts and their openness in integrating the cityās context and needs into their process. āThe findings, considerations and recommendations included in the final report are a valuable resource that the City can integrate into the implementation of the Net Zero Existing Buildings Strategy,ā Medina said. āTheir recommendation on the creation of a tenant advocacy board, in particular, drew our attention since it is a concept we haven't explored yet.ā
Another presentation saw students outline findings from their topic āInvestigating Incentives and Disincentives in the Transition to Zero-Emission Vehicles in Toronto.ā The group ā Luca Dannetta, Sarah Klein, Anna Lazaris, Tingwei Lyu and Arnaud Nsamirizi ā explored approaches taken by global municipalities to incentivize the switch to zero-emission vehicles and promote active transportation and public transit.
From left to right: Sarah Klein, Tingwei Lyu, Luca Dannetta, Anna Lazaris and Arnaud Nsamirizi (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)
The studentsā policy proposals included creating subsidies for the purchase of non-high-end electric and hybrid electric vehicles, imposing a city-wide tax on gas and petroleum products and creating preferential parking areas with charging stations for electric vehicles. The students noted financial incentives are the single most effective policy tool but observed that a dense network of charging infrastructure is also crucial to encourage uptake and use of electric vehicles.
However, the students also noted electric vehicles are only a small part of the puzzle and highlighted the importance of improving public transit and cycling infrastructure. By eliciting long-term changes in travel behaviour and making people see cars as a luxury rather than a necessity, the City of Toronto could foster environmental and public health benefits far beyond what electric vehicle uptake alone could achieve, they said.
The group also noted the importance of recognizing the limitations of municipal government and working with federal and provincial partners where viable.
Their client, Deborah Herbert, project manager at EED, praised the groupās work. āIt was a pleasure to work with the students ā they asked insightful questions and their work was high quality,ā Herbert said. āThe students' report is a very helpful resource as we consider ways that the City can help support the transition to low carbon transportation."
Next, the students will compile detailed reports that will be submitted to City of Toronto clients for their consideration, and will be published in .
Stewart Dutfield, acting manager at EED who co-ordinated city staff's involvement in the students' projects, said he was impressed by the quality of work produced by the students under Robinson's guidance. "It was really special to see the depth and breadth of topics covered with a focus on TransformTO,ā he said. āI know I find the process very rewarding, the outputs of process are impressive and I believe the students really benefit from the experience of addressing real world challenges.ā
For Padernal, the course highlighted the scope of sustainability efforts.
āIt opens your eyes. Before this, I thought sustainability was just about trying not to let the Earth die. But itās not just that ā itās about improving the lives of people,ā said Padernal. āThe co-benefits of having a sustainability lens are endless.ā
āI would definitely recommend taking [a Living Lab course], especially if you donāt know anything about the topic.ā
Here are the topics explored with the city and its partners as part of the Sustainability in the World: A Living Lab Course:
- Understanding the social equity implications of decarbonization in existing buildings
- Neighbourhood and community-led solutions to building retrofitting
- Innovative programs for driving emission reductions in existing buildings
- Understanding the qualitative and quantitative benefits of the cityās PollinateTO community grants program
- Investigating incentives and disincentives in the transition to zero-emission vehicles in Toronto
- Scaling and delivering climate solutions
- Climate change communication
- Integrating climate considerations into procurement
- Zero emissions construction product and knowledge gaps
- Integration of climate in asset management processes
- Jurisdictional scan of climate policies and plans
- Indoor health co-benefit of building retrofit projects