Green roofs reap climate benefits. How do you build one?

Written By Peter Allan
Staff at Toronto Metropolitan University's Urban Farm tend to their rooftop crops

Staff at Toronto Metropolitan University's Urban Farm tend to their rooftop crops on Aug. 2, 2023. Photo courtesy Arlene Throness

By Evert Lindquist

Car-free roads where residents and tourists are free to roam, shop, sip on outdoor patios and easily avoid traffic are steadily gaining popularity across Canada.

In many cases, this pedestrian-only trend took off during the COVID-19 pandemic as cities strived to offer more outdoor activities to their cooped-up citizens.

Experts note there are environmental benefits as well. Pedestrian streets help combat summer heat islands, promote walking and bicycle use, and reduce reliance on cars, thereby cutting planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions.

Now, Montreal, Calgary and Banff are among the cities and towns that continue to see popularity increase for pedestrian-only routes. Even outside urban centres, some spots have experimented with the idea. In Alberta, for example, part of a popular tourist drive through the mountains (Bow Valley Parkway-Highway 1A) is now closed to only bicycles and hikers for part of the year. The tourist town of Banff in Alberta also now bars a section of its main road to cars during summer.

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Peter Allan
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