Grey to Green Conference in Toronto
livingLABers headed to Toronto for the Grey to Green conference. The conference included a Tuesday tour of Corktown Common, a park designed for flood mitigation from the Don River into a newly redeveloped portion of the city. The park integrated stormwater management and thoughtful topographic changes to create a series of experiences from a nature-based playground and splash pad, unique pavilion, and open lawn space for informal pick up games into a urban wetland. Native plantings are incorporated throughout the park, and the serviceberries and redbuds were in full bloom during our visit. The tour ended with a series of green roof tours. The City of Toronto requires green roofs on all new development with a minimum gross floor area of 2,000 square meters (21,500 sf), so there are a lot to choose from! The conference included presentations on creative stormwater solutions spanning the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. We were honored to participate in a diverse, international gathering of such creative stormwater professionals.