Newswire: How we build matters

SSG & CCI research risks for new housing

The rising cost of housing and the effects of the climate crisis are both headline news, but they rarely come up in the same sentence. That’s an issue. Climatic factors that affect the safety of our homes—like where and how floods occur and the paths of wildfires—are shifting dramatically.? SSG is collaborating with the Canadian Climate Institute (CCI) on research that will evaluate the potential climate risks inherent in addressing the housing shortage. The project will use CityInSight Adaptation, SSG’s climate adaptation model, to assess the risks associated with projected future building locations for over 1,000 cities and towns across Canada. Our Adaptation Team Lead, Erik Frenette, explains why this research is critical on our website.

New Green Building Standards in Ontario

Buildings in the City of Mississauga and Town of Caledon in the Greater Toronto Area are going to be built to greener standards after councils from both municipalities unanimously passed new Green Development Standards in May. These standards will transform the way tens of thousands of new homes and buildings are built, affecting the health, air-quality, and resilience of these communities for years to come. We are grateful to have been able to work with both municipalities on the development of these transformative policies.?

Study shows the power of solar

On top of his work as a modeller and consultant at SSG, Esteban recently co-authored a research paper, Reduction in Emissions by Massive Solar Plant Integration in the US Power Grid, in the journal Energies. The study showed that in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and part of Nevada can achieve climate targets by exclusively shifting to solar energy. He provides guidance on what that means for policy makers in these states, as well as cloudier ones, in our latest blog.

PIBC Award for Ladysmith’s Unparallelled OCP

Our work on Ladysmith’s Official Community Plan, alongside a fun and inspiring team of consultants, was recognized by the Planning Institute of BC (PIBC) with a Silver Award of Excellence in Planning. The plan was a collaborative effort, led by the Town of Ladysmith and Ahne Studio.? We conducted modelling to assess the impact of land-use policies on greenhouse gas emissions. Our analysis helped staff, elected officials, and community members understand how the OCP could reduce the community’s carbon footprint for years to come. As we like to say, land use planning is climate planning.? You can read more about our work in Ladysmith here.?

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