ABSTRACT
Periodic flooding due to climate change is increasing nearly everywhere. The City of Toronto is vulnerable to flooding due to the size of its population and its geographic features. Toronto’s paved urban landscape increases rainfall runoff, exacerbating flooding. A growing population has exacerbated the risks of flooding by increasing paved impermeable surfaces without investing in sufficient expansion and maintenance of sewage systems. The ecological risks are also higher for poor and racialized communities who are more likely to live along the city’s flood plains. The northwest quadrant of the city is located within the Humber River floodplain and has a higher level of all three variables: flood risk, flood vulnerability, and the marginality captured in the designation of Neighbourhood Improvement Areas. As changes in climate become more severe and frequent, flooding will continue to cause severe damages to people and infrastructure, particularly in areas of rapid urbanization.
