Community comes together to build a sustainable future in The Pocket

With warmer winters and hotter summers, Torontonians are feeling the effects of climate change. So, one neighbourhood is working to build a more sustainable future at the hyperlocal level.

In The Pocket, there are houses from the early 1900s that are less energy-efficient, there’s lower green space per capita compared to the rest of Toronto and there’s a higher ground-surface temperature in some areas.

That’s why the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) joined residents to work on a Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Plan, or SNAP for short.

“The community was really supportive right from the get-go. I think as we started sitting down and talking to the Pocket Community Association, which is the residents’ group here,” says Patricia Lewis, program manager of Sustainable Neighbourhoods for the TRCA.

“Everyone we spoke to realized that our intent is to come in to support the work that’s already happening and we can bring resources to that.”
SNAP started in 2012 across Ontario to create sustainable neighbourhoods in older urban areas.

In the Pocket, SNAP launched in 2021 with four goals:

• Revitalize green spaces; 
• Undertake home retrofits to reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
• Add streetscape improvements to increase tree canopy cover and decrease traffic congestion and;
• Help community members take more sustainable actions.

“There was a lot of excitement. People were invited to speak about what they liked about The Pocket, what they wanted to improve about The Pocket, what they wanted to see more of,” Lori Zucchiatti O’Neill, the Phin Park and Greening Committee chair, says.

“One of the dominant themes was nature….People were thrilled that so many people in the neighbourhood were concerned about climate change, reducing our carbon footprint, increasing biodiversity, things of that nature.”

Last year, the Pocket SNAP planted Toronto’s first “tiny forest,” an urban area that’s tightly packed with vegetation to help restore the hyperlocal ecosystem. Located right by Oakvale and Phin Avenues, it includes native plants to increase biodiversity, improve air quality and reduce heat.

“I appreciate having a green community. Anything that will help to reduce our carbon footprint and help save the world from climate change, I’m on,” says David Langille, a resident of The Pocket.

The Pocket’s “tiny forest” is set to grow over the next 20 to 30 years, but TRCA staff are only there to equip the neighbourhood with the necessary tools to maintain the forest. It’ll be up to community members to continue the work in the long run.