Canada: How urban gardening could be at the forefront of climate change adaptation in Canada’s cities

Stormwater absorption and flood prevention among the potential benefits

By Inayat Singh, Alice Hopton
CBC News
May 20, 2021

Excerpt:

Rhonda Teitel-Payne, a co-ordinator with Toronto Urban Growers, a local advocacy group, says she has noticed a growth in interest in gardening among city dwellers during the pandemic.

She says people are understanding the importance of green spaces closer to home.

“One reason is that people were not feeling secure about the food system and whether they would be able to access enough food for their family, but also for their neighbours,” she said.

“So a lot of interest from people who had never grown food before. But the second piece of it is also that people were really understanding the importance of nature for our mental health and for our well-being.”

eitel-Payne said she hopes people will continue to change the way they think about cities and their own role in greening urban spaces.

“I think people think of concrete canyons. They think of roadways and pollution. And really, that is a very large part of our experience in the urban environment,” she said.

“And so when we get to create these spaces, we’re compensating for that a little bit.”

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