The Charrette program is designed to help community leaders, designers, building owners and policy makers to examine how living green infrastructure investment could work on the streets, roofs and walls of their own communities. The Green Infrastructure Design Charrette involves engaging multi-disciplinary volunteers to redesign North American neighbourhoods in need, with fifteen generic types of green infrastructure as their tools.

Recognize and honor innovative approaches to integrated design, research thought leaders, policy visionaries, personal contributions, and the next generation of industry leaders.

Session 26: Outstanding Local & International GI Projects

Session 27: Emerging Research on Green Roof Vegetation

Session 28: Green Infrastructure Monitoring and Development Opportunities

Session 29: Rooftop Agriculture Advancements

Session 30: Expert Policy Makers Reflect GI Policy Program Development and Implementation

Network with exhibitors and conference attendees at the CitiesAlive trade show.

Session 21: Vertical Forests Are Climbing Up the Sides of More and More Buildings

Session 22: Community Development, Economic and Environmental Justice with Green Infrastructure

Session 23: Reducing Risk and Maximizing Benefits with GI

Session 24: Best Practices in Green Wall Technology

Session 25: Best Practices in Green Roof Installation and Maintenance

Developer Perspectives, Scaling Up and Speeding Up: Development Community Perspectives on Affordability and the Role of Green Infrastructure
Adam Molson, V.P. Sustainability | Daniels
Graeme Armster, Director of Innovation and Sustainability | Tridel

Outstanding Green Infrastructure Projects and Plans from Around the World
Leo Stuckardt, Senior Computational Designer | MVRDV

Shake hands and celebrate the remarkable achievements of green roof and wall professionals over the past two decades.

Enjoy a lively Reception on the Trade Show Floor. Network with industry leaders, explore cutting-edge exhibits, and toast to the future of green infrastructure.

Session 16: Horticulture & Buildings

Session 17: Green Roof Design Research Trends / Advancing Vegetative Research on Green Roofs

Session 18: Sustaining and Maintaining Green Infrastructure in the City of Toronto

Session 19: Understanding Differences Between Waterproofing Systems

Session 20: Improving Economic and Environmental Equity Through Community Scale Green Infrastructure Development

Session 11: Mitigating Urban Heat Islands for Senior, Schools and Green Infrastructure

Session 12: Research on the Resilience of Rooftop Plants

Session 13: Toronto Green Standard & Green Roof Program

Session 14: Biophilic Design Economics, Biodiversity and Health Benefits of GI

Session 15: Strategies for Scaling Up Rooftop Agriculture

Meet with key industry suppliers, network with conference attendees, and learn about new research from emerging professionals.

Session 6: Design Tools and Guidelines

Session 7: Plant and Growing Medium Studies

Session 8: Reimagining Toronto's Largest Redevelopment Project - Master Planning for Green Infrastructure in Downsview

Session 9: Innovative Products & Technologies

Session 10: Urban Forestry - Overcoming the Challenges of Inequity

Session 1: Case Studies in Exemplary Green Infrastructure Systems - Amazing Amenity Space and Managing the 100 Year Storm

Session 2: Sensors and Green Roof Product Performance

Session 3: Building Resilience in City Owned Properties and Streets

Session 4: Solar Green Roof Integration and Research Update from National Research Council

Session 5: How Are Roofing Manufacturers Responding to the Climate Emergency

Welcome and Introduction
Matt Barmore, GRP, Senior Product & Technical Manager, Single Ply Systems North America | IKO Industries; Board Chair | Green Roofs for Healthy Cities

Twenty Years of Industry Building: Towards A Greener Future
Steven W. Peck, GRP, Founder and President, GRHC, Co-Founder, Green Infrastructure Ontario and the World Green Infrastructure Network

Leading with Landscape: The Transformation of a Naturalized River Valley System in the Port Lands
Shannon Baker, Project Director, Parks and Public Realm at Waterfront Toronto

Network with other attendees and keynote presenters to celebrate the beginning of CitiesAlive 2024.

Opening Remarks
Steven W. Peck, GRP, Founder and President, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities

Welcome Remarks
Olivia Chow, Mayor | City of Toronto (Invited)

City Nature and the Nature of Cities
Rasmus Astrup, Partner & Design Principal | SLA

Climate Positive Design — Going Beyond Neutral
Pamela Conrad, PLA, ASLA, LEED AP, Internationally renowned landscape architect, Founder and Executive Director | Climate Positive Design

Tour the state-of-the-art Green Roof Innovation Testing Laboratory on top of the University of Toronto Faculty of Architecture and a lecture on recent research findings.

Walking tour of two sites designed to act as stormwater sponges, integrating high capacity water management systems into the downtown core.

Cover the theory and practices of policy implementation and learn about the many tools and strategies involved in successful planning and implementation.

Explore the science of biophilia, the patterns of biophilic design, and how to applying them in a variety of spaces and projects.

Walking tour of Toronto's newest flood protection system in the Port Lands transforming over 30 hectares of industrial brownfields.

From crop planning, to cultivation and harvest, to closing the roof for the winter, this masterclass will take you through each stage of seasonal production on an urban agriculture green roof.

Use the Climate Positive Design Pathfinder tool to discover how design choices can drive meaningful change to remove more carbon from the atmosphere than they emit

Hands-on training course covering a variety of different green roof systems, a wide range of planting types, and maintenance practices.

Learn the essentials of creating thriving green walls from plant selection to ensuring long-term sustainability and maintenance.

Walking Tour exploring several types of green infrastructure typologies and their functions at Corktown Common, Baseball Place - Riverside Common Park, and Morse Street Junior Public School.

Masterclass providing attendees with both the principles of biodiverse green roof design and maintenance, as well as examples and tools.