Lessons in rebuilding after a wildfire
When the entire town of Lytton, BC, burned down on June 30, 2021, the community decided to rebuild better. Their process offers lessons for other communities facing wildfire risks.
How two American cities integrated federal funding into their climate action plans
SSG collaborated with Lakewood, Ohio and Ames, Iowa to identify the role of specific federal funds through detailed financial modeling. They are, to our knowledge, the first municipalities to account for federal funding from the Infrastructure Bill and Inflation Reduction Act in their climate action plans—setting them up to save hundreds of millions of dollars by taking climate action.
Land-use planning is climate planning
Land-use bylaws are one of the easiest mechanisms for municipalities to achieve low-carbon outcomes.
How Cities Can Make 1.5°C a Reality
The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change underlines that the window of opportunity to limit global heating to 1.5°C is closing quickly– and cities are critical for helping humanity through the window if they act immediately and strategically.
Five Insights From Sustainable Canadian Communities
Municipalities across Canada are excited about leading creative projects to tackle the climate crisis. At the FCM Sustainable Communities Conference earlier this month, SSG had a chance to hear from them and discuss new developments in the climate action space.
What Happens Now That Edmonton Didn’t Meet its Carbon Budget?
On November 3, 2022, the City of Edmonton released the first municipal carbon budget report in Canada. The report indicated that Edmonton is set to blow past its carbon budget of 176 million tonnes by 2037 and fall short of its target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Though this news is alarming, it’s promising […]
Q&A: Whitby Mayor’s On Kickstarting Climate Action
Mayor Don Mitchell on Canada’s first data-driven municipal climate adaptation plan and how he went from debunking climate action to becoming a climate action champion.
The World’s First Crowd-Sourced Sustainability Index for Cities
The world’s first crowd-sourced sustainability index for cities highlights drivers of urban greenhouse gas emissions and trends in sustainability. The Sustainable Cities Index analyzed 50 cities, finding that the greenest are predominantly in Europe and more likely to have female mayors.
Q&A: Toronto’s Net Zero Program Manager on Why Communication is Key
The City of Toronto is targeting net-zero community emissions by 2040—a decade sooner than most major North American cities with climate action plans. “It is a long-term vision,” said Sophie Plottel, who leads the team responsible for the development of Toronto’s TransformTO Net Zero Strategy, which aims to unite City divisions and the community at […]
SSG, Toronto, and Edmonton Win APA Awards For Climate Action Work
On May 2, SSG’s cutting-edge climate planning work was recognized with two awards from the American Planning Association Sustainable Communities Division! With the City of Toronto, we won the Environment, Climate, & Energy Award for the TransformTO Net-Zero Strategy, attaining a near-perfect score from the jurors. The strategy sets a target of net-zero community emissions […]
