Before being reborn as a mega-city, Toronto was a collection of seven municipalities, each with its own rules and standards. Their amalgamation in 1998 made Toronto a quasi-province – only Canada’s federal government and four of its provincial governments have jurisdiction over larger populations.

Despite bringing the municipalities together, the amalgamation of Toronto has yet to result in a cohesive plan for its future growth and for restoring the integrity of the natural systems (e.g. water and green-space) on which it depends. The City continues to grow and evolve through piecemeal development and in fits and starts, without a sustainable whole in clear focus.

The sustainable redevelopment of Toronto will never (and shouldn’t) be through its wholesale redevelopment. It will be done piecemeal, but must have a larger regional plan that implements and regulates long-term strategies for city growth. Within this, the smaller scale, shorter time-frame, incremental components of sustainable development such as green roofs (now officially a City of Toronto initiative) and localized grey water harvesting can aggregate over time, building a more sustainable whole.

Our city and its natural systems (and our greater regional landscapes) are a public trust, the scale of which goes beyond Toronto’s ward and city boundaries; their evolution into a new sustainable city will require a plan – which will span many political terms of office, and generations of Torontonians. [Margaret Graham / superkul]