In response to climate change, a public-private, building sector-related coalition has launched Canada’s first 2030 District to help reduce energy, water and transportation carbon emissions by 50 per cent within the next fifteen years.

A network of eight cities has already been established in the United States and now Toronto is on the list as the largest district to-date. Plans call for building a high-performance downtown area from Dupont to Lake Ontario and the Don Valley to Bathurst.

To ensure the pace of innovation keeps up with climate change issues, organizers hope to leverage existing local programs, increase information sharing, promote district-wide benchmarking, create economies of scale and build performance data, while connecting Toronto to other network cities dealing with similar issues.

“The 2030 District is a forum for collaboration that amplifies the success of existing conservation programs, removes redundancies and fills the gaps by sharing knowledge to build best practices,” says Jeff Ranson, executive director for Toronto 2030 District. “It establishes a framework for other cities in Canada to follow suit.”

Policy, design and market drivers are expected to align as the platform focuses industry, technical, political and community stakeholders within a certain geographical range.

Architects, for instance, are just some of the leaders who will be involved.

“Architects must be leaders in designing and building projects that are sustainable,” says Toon Dreessen, president of the Ontario Architects Association, a founding partner of the coalition. “That means continuing to educate ourselves, but also partnering with other organizations in the building sector to share the responsibility.”