[getsmart-l] Toronto approves new guidelines for eco-friendly parking lots + Regent Park redesign lessons learned

[John O'Gorman]

http://www.thestar.com/article/272869

City approves new guidelines for eco-friendly parking lots
Standards call for trees, walkways, lighting, improved drainage and enhanced landscaping

Nov 02, 2007 04:30 AM Toronto Star
Paola Loriggio Staff Reporter

Coming soon to a block near you: safer, prettier, greener parking lots.

A new set of city guidelines aims to improve environmental standards in all future private and municipal parking lots, with more trees, clear walkways and better drainage.

"We have quite a bit of asphalt in the city, so any opportunity we have to provide shade and cooling in those lots, we need to take it," said Councillor Karen Stintz, a member of the planning and growth management committee.

"No one likes getting in a hot car in the summer."

The design guidelines, which were agreed on yesterday, would help officials determine which construction plans are worthy of being approved.

They won't be applied retroactively to existing parking but are meant to "encourage" the owners to implement the standards when upgrading their lots.

None of the improvements is mandatory, but some may be integrated into city policies as the project evolves, said Robert J. Freedman, director of urban design for the city planning department.

Recommended changes include: creating landscaped areas with permanent irrigation systems, using light-coloured and porous paving materials, switching to energy-efficient light fixtures and adding public art.

Landscaping is key. The plan calls for planting native species of trees and shrubs in islands, along pedestrian walkways and as a screen around the edges of lots.

The cost of landscaping and greenery can add up, but Freedman said he believes the initiative will bring an equivalent payoff from the environmental and aesthetic perspective.

On a practical level, he said, reducing toxic runoff from parking lots lessens the cost of water cleanup for the city. 

As it is, outdoor parking lots pose a triple threat to the Toronto's environment, according to the city report.

Vast expanses of dark asphalt absorb sunlight and contribute to the urban "heat island" effect. That, in turn, leads to higher smog levels.

Traditional lot paving also repels rainwater and melting snow, sending chemical-laden runoff into local waterways.

And those cars left in the sun? They emit their own blend of pollutants into the air.

So why not eliminate a few lots, instead of tinkering with them?

"In an ideal world, it would be great to have no lots," said Stintz (Ward 16, Eglinton-Lawrence). "But let's be realistic. We need to have them, so we might as well make them better."

http://www.thestar.com/article/272528

Regent Park redesign sign of lessons learned

When the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood was created in the 1970s, the approach was much less idealistic, but much more successful. It was deliberately integrated into the city and the housing, whether full market or geared-to-income, was mixed. 

It has not become an area non-residents avoid, where we feel threatened. Despite the generally poor quality of the architecture, it's barely distinguishable from any other neighbourhood in the city.
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