Governing Green Infrastructure: Multi-Level Dynamics Shaping Climate Resilience and Equity in Toronto

Abstract

Green infrastructure has emerged as a central planning approach for addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, and urban livability. However, its growing popularity has also resulted in considerable conceptual ambiguity, as governments and practitioners define and implement the concept in different ways. This paper examines how differing definitions and governance arrangements across federal, provincial, regional, and municipal levels influence the implementation of green infrastructure in Toronto and considers the implications for climate resilience and equity. Drawing on Urban Political Ecology, spatial justice, and the broader literature, the research develops a working definition of green infrastructure that emphasizes climate resilience, equitable distribution, and conceptual clarity. A classification system of green infrastructure typologies is used alongside the working definition to systematically evaluate government publications and assess how each level defines green infrastructure, employs related terminology, identifies qualifying typologies, and frames the intended functions and benefits of the approach. Illustrative examples of intergovernmental projects are subsequently examined to demonstrate how differing conceptualizations shape implementation in practice. The findings reveal variation and incompleteness in how green infrastructure is defined, inconsistent relationships with overlapping concepts such as natural infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and low impact development, and minimal guidance on its physical forms and functions. This ambiguity constrains the range of features that can be included and ultimately limits the scope of ecosystem services that can be realized through implementation. These differences complicate collaboration and create uncertainty regarding eligible interventions and intended outcomes. The paper concludes that improving conceptual clarity, while preserving sufficient flexibility for local contexts, would strengthen coordination across governments and support more equitable and climate-resilient implementation of green infrastructure in Toronto and across Canada.