Population (2017)
1,124,748Population density
638 people per square kilometre2015 carbon emissions
6.6 megatonnes2016 carbon emissions
6.3 megatonnes2017 carbon emissions
6.3 megatonnesYork’s transportation emissions are among the GTHA’s highest
York’s emissions from buildings, industry, and waste are among the lowest in the GTHA on a per capita basis. Industry emissions for York are low enough that they do not appear in the region’s sectoral breakdown.
In contrast, York’s transportation emissions are the highest per capita in the GTHA, tied with Peel. Transportation emissions in York have climbed from 2015 to 2017 and the share of York’s overall emissions that come from transportation have also increased from 46 per cent to 50 per cent.
York’s Pathway to Carbon Neutrality
York’s population density is below the GTHA average, and only 18 per cent of homes are multi-unit residential buildings. This low density makes the region’s high transportation emissions unsurprising. Improving urban planning to reduce commutes and travel times would allow for substantial reductions in transportation emissions.
York has a transportation master plan that seeks to address York’s mobility needs through multiple measures. Increasing the connectedness of their public transit system is a priority, ideally including fare integration and improved networking with neighbouring municipalities and regions. Supporting active transportation and non-car options is also a critical part of the plan.
Get in touch with us to discuss these results and how we arrived at them.
SCALABLE SOLUTION FROM YORK, FOR THE GTHA
Developing Best Practices
The City of Markham is working with Mattamy Homes and Enwave to design the largest net-zero neighbourhood in Ontario. Supported by a TAF grant, the project will create 400 homes that are anchored by a district geothermal heating system.
This Markham neighbourhood will prove the case for geothermal community energy systems across the GTHA. The lessons learned from the project in Markham can be applied elsewhere in the region and beyond to accelerate the uptake of this low-carbon solution.
Read more about TAF grants.