Table of ContentsIntroductionHalifaxTorontoKamloopsConclusionIntroductionEvery daily planner must deal with these so-called “wicked problems.” These problems are very difficult to solve due to constantly changing variables. In a planning context, issues can range from land use to community engagement, the list is endless. Climate change is perhaps the most pressing problem planners must tackle. Climate change affects us all. We may not realize the scale of the areas affected, but our planet is changing rapidly. From rising sea levels to rising temperatures and more severe storms, climate change is the main driver of these problems. Located in three distinct regions of Canada, Halifax, Toronto and Kamloops, will all experience the effects of climate change in their own way. From floods to wildfires, climate change is inevitable at this point and now it's up to us to figure out how best to prepare for the future. Planners must now look further and further into the future to plan for what the planet has in store. This report will examine the climate change issues these cities face and how cities plan to address these issues. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayHalifaxHalifax is located on the east coast. Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, began modestly as a British fort competing with the French Fort Louisbourg in Cape Breton. Halifax enjoyed prosperity during wartime, when many soldiers flooded the city, but during peacetime, Halifax's economy declined. Over the years, Halifax has grown from a small fort to a rather large shipping port with one of the deepest natural harbors in the world. With modern logistics, a rail system and container ships introduced to the region, Halifax has become a major shipping hub in Canada. In 2016, Halifax's population was 316,000 people in its downtown core. (Statistics Canada) The Halifax waterfront has become a popular tourist destination with its shops, restaurants, hotels and historic sites. Sea levels are rising and Halifax is sinking. With sea levels projected to rise by up to 1.3 meters by 2100, Halifax's waterfront could quickly find itself underwater. (Wells and Charles, 2015) There are currently three different projections of sea level rise by 2100. The first projection is a continuation of the historical rate, with an expected rise of 16 centimeters. The next projection is a rise of 57 centimeters from the Intergovernmental Committee on Climate Change's fourth assessment in 2007. The third projection comes from recent scientific journals that predict a whopping 1.3 meters of rise by 2100. (Wells et Charles) With a higher sea level also comes a higher storm surge. In 2003, Hurricane Juan hit Halifax, causing a storm surge of up to 2.9 meters and record-high waves recorded from a buoy outside the harbor reaching 9 meters. (Bowyer, 2003) A rise of 2.9 meters above sea level in Halifax would completely flood the waterfront, causing millions of dollars in damage to residential, commercial and historic properties. Halifax has a plan in place to respond and adapt to climate change. Regarding the seafront, theNew buildings must be built at least 2.5 meters above the high water mark, leaving plenty of room for sea level rise. (Mcclearn, 2018) Halifax has also built new sea walls around of the northwest arm to slow erosion. Additionally, the city implemented a living shoreline project, which involves planting hay bales and native plants along the banks to slow erosion and keep the banks intact. To try to slow the effects of climate change, Halifax has also launched the Solar City program, which involves installing rooftop solar panels to run electric water heaters. During the pilot project, the city installed 388 systems throughout the 2-year course. (Medima, 2016) Halifax's proposed next steps toward creating a more comprehensive climate change plan include: "· A modeling exercise to accurately predict the impact of strong wave action on port properties; · Development of a risk assessment database containing information on the vulnerability of port waterfront properties · Creation of measures which could include a minimum ground elevation for new developments, technical solutions such as elevation wall height and regulations on land use and development of flood-prone areas · Further consultation with landowners and other stakeholders to obtain feedback on options and strategies » (Wells and Charles, 2015). Currently, Halifax is working with developers to set standards for how high new developments should be above sea level and how to protect existing buildings on the waterfront. (Mcclearn, 2018 )TorontoLocated on the north shore of Lake Ontario is Toronto. With a population of 2.9 million, it is the most populous city in Canada. From a humble meeting of indigenous tribes to the thriving megacity it is today. Toronto in the 1940s experienced immense industrial expansion with increased steamship and railway traffic through the city's ports. This industrial expansion led to the creation of many new factories and jobs. When the small farming villages around Toronto experienced economic decline during the wars, Toronto's manufacturing base allowed them to continue producing goods for the war and keep their economies somewhat stable. (Benn, 2017) The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is home to 40% of Canada's national corporate headquarters and the region produces one-fifth of the entire country's GPA. (Drummond, Burleton, Manning, & Richardson, 2002) When Toronto was built, city planners failed to look far enough into the future when designing the city's water management systems. city. All of Toronto's infrastructure was built for a certain temperature, rain level and storm severity. We are quickly leaving this environmental window for which Toronto was designed. In recent years, Toronto has seen two devastating storms that crippled the city's infrastructure, causing billions in damage. The first storm was an extreme rainstorm with over 120mm of rain in 2 hours. This storm caused massive flooding, overloading the city's drainage systems. The Go Train was grounded due to flooding of the River Don. Later that year, Toronto experienced a severe winter storm that knocked out the power grid, leaving people withoutelectricity for weeks. Toronto city officials now realize that something must be done to prepare their city for the future. Toronto's action plan to prepare the city for climate change consists of a new green development standard, under which new buildings must meet a set of guidelines to fit into a certain tier, with higher tiers rewarding developers through financial incentives. The goal of the green development standard is to get developers to begin adapting to a changing environment, while reducing the city's contribution to global warming in an attempt to slow the process. Some of the Tier 1 standards include: Toronto Green Standard V3 (2018), Image via City of Toronto · 15% energy efficiency above OBC · Tree planting · Stormwater retention · Green roofs or Fees · Paving Fees · Cycling Infrastructure Levels 2 - 4 are optional, but they carry financial benefits. These levels raise the bar with 15 points that must be met to become a Level 2 building. (Del Prete, 2018) These points are: “Reducing urban heat islands: ground level energy performance Toronto aims to make the city more and more respectful of the environment with each new iteration of the standards. More than 1,500 developments already meet Level 1 standards with more to come. (King and Scott, 2018)Toronto's main plan to adapt and combat climate change is its $60 billion "TransformTO" plan. The TransformTO plan aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% by 2050 (i.e. an 80% reduction in the quantity of greenhouse gases in 1990). The Transform TO plan aims to include the public as well as developers and the city is striving to achieve this noble goal. The way the city aims to achieve this figure is through a series of time-bound goals. These goals include: “- Design and construct all new City-owned facilities to generate near-zero GHG emissions by 2026; - Renovate all City-owned buildings, including social housing, to achieve the highest emissions reduction technically achievable, achieving on average a target of 40% energy savings compared to 2017; energy performance of buildings by 2040; - Install a capacity of 24 MW of renewable energy on City-owned facilities and land by 2020; - Establish a green fleet plan to transition 45% of the City-owned fleet to low-carbon vehicles by 2030; -facilities owned by 2030; - Generate and use 1.5 million gigajoules of energy from biogas by 2030; and - Obtain designation among Canada's Top 100 Green Employers by 2020” (Baxter and Scioli, 2017, p.3). The City of Toronto currently estimates that with drastic changes and increased public efforts, an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions will still be possible by 2050. (Pickering, 2017)KamloopsOn the west coast of Canada, 355 kilometers inland from Vancouver, lies the city of Kamloops. With a population of just over 90,000, Kamloops is the smallest city featured in this report. Similar to Toronto, Kamloops began as a trading post for the region's native people. Kamloops' growth really began after World War I with a huge industrial boom. “An oil refinery, a gas pipeline and, in the late 1960s, a pulp and paper mill. » (City of..