Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2009 - (Page 8)

JOE PANTALONE DEPUTY MAYOR AND COUNCILLOR, CITY OF TORONTO Interview by Caroline M. Nolan ON THE ROOF WITH… In a North American ﬁrst, the City of Toronto passed a new bylaw consisting of a green roof construction standard which regulates how green roofs are to be built and a mandatory requirement for green roofs on all classes of new buildings on May 26, 2009. The bylaw, passed with overwhelming support, requires up to 60 percent green roof coverage on multi-unit residential dwellings over six storeys, schools, nonproﬁt housing, commercial and industrial buildings. Larger residential projects require greater green roof coverage, ranging anywhere from 20 to 60 percent of the roof area. The adoption of this historic bylaw would not have been possible without a champion: Toronto deputy mayor and councillor, Joe Pantalone, who faced signiﬁcant political pressure from a variety of stakeholders including developers, builders, businesspeople and even, the Catholic Church. As a political veteran and city sustainability champion, however, deputy mayor Pantalone was undeterred and the results of this dedication and passion can clearly be seen in this successful adoption of this leading-edge policy. The new bylaw builds upon an existing requirement for green roofs on all city-owned properties as well as a ﬁnancial incentive of up to CDN $5 per square foot for existing buildings. Toronto’s new mandatory bylaw is expected to result in between 50 to 75 new projects annually. The City of Toronto is co-hosting CitiesAlive in October 2009. Councillor Pantalone was interviewed at his oﬃce at City Hall in Toronto just days following the successful passage of the new green roof bylaw. Image courtesy of Joe Pantalone

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2009

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2009
The Case for Mandated Green Roofs
Citiesalive!
Student Sustainable Design Competition
GIF Road Show
U.S. Green Roof Industry Grew By 35 Percent in 2008
Part 1 of 2: Risk-Reduction Tools
On the Roof With . . .
The World's First Accredited Green Roof Professionals (GRPs)
A Haven for Butterflies
A Green Roof at Sea
A Biophilic Oasis
A Green Roof for Every Angle
Community Focal Point
Nature in the City
Growing Lives
A Green Roof with Wings
A Policy Pioneer
A Dedicated Researcher
Designing a Better Future
Fire & Wind Standards
GHRC Professional Development Calendar
Welcome New Corporate Members
Green Wall Research
Standing the Test of Time

Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Summer 2009