Circular Solutions for
CRD Waste in Toronto
Masters of Urban and Regional Planning
Major Research Paper
–This paper was completed with the support of many people and much existing research and passion.
–This paper was completed with the support of many people and much existing research and passion.
CONSTRUCTION, RENOVATION, AND DEMOLITION WASTE (CRD) in the city of Toronto goes largely unmonitored and unregulated. As the city rapidly continues growing and changing more as the COVID-19 Pandemic has impacted the way people use and need space, there will certainly be no slowing of the amount of CRD waste produced. With a changing market, population, and changing individual needs, many opt to renovate or demolish and start new, all the while creating waste. This waste is often overlooked in conversations of green building and sustainable growth. In an effort to understand the problem, this project examines the current policy framework that Toronto’s CRD waste system sits within, from federal to municipal. Throughout the project, visuals such as graphs, charts, infographics, maps, and diagrams are used to clearly communicate and quickly show complex concepts to bring an understanding of the system, problems, and solutions to a broader audience. This project emphasizes mapping and other visualization techniques to clearly identify, illuminate and explore existing barriers in the current system, possible future solutions, and identify leverage points for creating change and moving towards a circular economy for construction, renovation, and demolition waste in Toronto. Graphic analysis and information design curates and communicates a large body of research from across the world.
