大象传媒

We were having dinner with some new architect friends a few years ago when the conversation turned to the decreasing permeability of the city. (Yes, this is the kind of dinner party I throw). 

鈥淲ow, you鈥檙e really into ground surface permeability,鈥� remarked my new friend, after I had vented about the lack of vents for the water that needs to be absorbed by city soil. Now, every time I read an article or see a report about how our city is failing to hold developers to waterlogged account I hear her voice saying, 鈥淲ow, you鈥檙e really into ground surface permeability.鈥� It鈥檚 not the catchiest of catchphrases, but I鈥檒l take it.

Think of it this way: All the cement and pavement is creating a thick sheet of plastic wrap over the ground, and exacerbating the city鈥檚 inability to absorb water and filter toxins. That鈥檚 bad. And once you notice it, you can鈥檛 seem to un-notice it. Especially given the increasing incidence of damaging storms. Without permeable surfaces, cities can鈥檛 absorb all the water that鈥檚 coming our way with climate-induced extreme weather. And if your city is anything like Toronto, the permeability has decreased greatly with urbanization. :

How did impervious surfaces contribute to each of these floods? The [greater Toronto area]鈥檚 population has grown 700% since 1931, and more than 75% of the GTA has undergone urban development (Rinc贸n et al., 2018). More urbanization implies more impervious surfaces and greater runoff rates (Rinc贸n et al., 2018). 

In Toronto, when our sewers can鈥檛 handle the deluge of rainfall, the city is forced to do a 鈥榖ypass.鈥� Bypass is a euphemism for dumping our sewage into Lake Ontario. Which is not just disgustingly grody but deeply unfair because it renders the lake unswimmable for days thereafter, sometimes emitting a bonus stench. With increasingly hot summer days, people who don鈥檛 own pools or cottages or homes with air conditioning actually NEED the lake. And until just a few weeks ago,. It was basically a license to flood.

Depave Paradise 

But there鈥檚 a solution: Depaving! Writes Lynn Freehill-Maye in a great piece in 大象传媒 Magazine: 

The official depave movement began with a single Portland lot in 2007. A man named Arif Khan moved into a house whose backyard was completely paved over, but Khan wanted a garden. He and some friends discussed how to go about it, then hit on the idea of just taking it out by hand themselves. 

I love this. I want to feel more earth beneath my feet. Obviously, in a city, for accessibility and practicality reasons, we鈥檙e not going to disappear all our pavement. But…why not try? This is the solarpunk aesthetic in action, as per . And Montreal, where I鈥檝e been living for the past few weeks, fills every cranny with wildflowers and parkettes. I鈥檓 green with envy. Why can鈥檛 we have nice things, Toronto?

If you like makeovers and transformations, it鈥檚 hard not to love the beautiful work of the depave movement. The before-and-afters show places transformed from squatly inhospitable to beautifully inviting,  and others.

Before:

After:

No Need to Depave if You Behave

Of course, the opposite of depaving is behaving in the first place. That means preserving green spaces instead of cementing their death. In Ontario, groups have been activating against  to pave over important wetlands, Class A farmland, and waterways. It never ends. In Montreal, my wonderful cousin Deborah has been working to bring attention to efforts to build a factory (!) on one of the city鈥檚 best loved pieces of wetland and bird sanctuary. As I鈥檝e droned before, once wetlands are gone, you can鈥檛 get them back. It鈥檚 all so obviously vile as to be almost laughable. Which is why it鈥檚 great that depaving requires a crowbar or a jackhammer. What better way to release some anger?

Cheap and Cheerful

The beauty of depaving is it鈥檚 an inexpensive solution that reaps huge economic and social benefit. People are starting to see this. In Toronto, . (Jode is also the genius behind mammoth efforts to green up our city by turning it into a national park, , and more!) The possibilities for green alleys are endless. As usual, Montreal does it better with its.

鈥淭he exciting thing about green infrastructure is obviously this stormwater management piece, but if we are literally ripping up concrete and putting in trees, or shrubs, or even parks, that is going to have a multiplicity of benefits. Besides the positive impact on people鈥檚 health, green infrastructure also has the capacity to lift up communities economically through well-paying, quality local jobs,鈥� says Johanna Bozuwa, . Win win win (win win win). And look how effective it is:

If 鈥淐ome on Eileen鈥� is an earworm, ground surface permeability is an earthworm. Once it鈥檚 in your brain, you see the hard, impenetrable surfaces of the city everywhere. So many daunting problems are coming at us at vicious speed. This seems like an easy one to start cracking away at.聽

This Week:

Have you sledged through any impervious surfaces lately, literal or metaphorical? How did it go? Please let me know.

Reading and Action:

Learn more about . If you live in Montreal, write a letter or call your politicians!

Depave Paradise: . You can reach out to start a project.

Last Week:

What puts ? I illustrated a few lovely reader submissions. Send me yours, too!:

Writes Marilee so beautifully, 鈥�Nature crews on, totally affected by our choices, but crews on regardless. I love walking in it. The vista as I saw yesterday… 7 p.m. golden sun falling on wetlands side by side with gorgeous Wisconsin rolling hills planted with three-foot high corn took my breath away and for one tiny moment made me feel as if everything was okay.鈥�

From Iris and Emily, this funny (but real) one:

More Things:

鈥� ? Great piece in Grist.

鈥� Thanks to reader Leigh for recommending聽. I can鈥檛 wait to read her book.

鈥� 聽(why we need huge, systemic solutions like carbon pricing, carbon labeling, etc鈥�)

鈥� I work on carbon pricing by day. It鈥檚 one of the most important policies in bringing down emissions stat, but many don鈥檛 understand how it works here in Canada. So we made this fun explainer:

Thanks so much for reading. If you know someone who might like MVP, please share.

Hope you are happy and healthy. Have a lovely weekend,

Sarah

P.S. This is my newsletter for the week of July 30, 2021, published in partnership with 大象传媒 Media. You can sign up to get Minimum Viable Planet newsletter emailed directly to you at .