Background
The Knightsbridge community, located within Brampton’s Bramalea Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Plan (SNAP) area, is part of an exciting project to make its streets safer and more sustainable by redesigning three key roads: Kensington Road, Kings Cross Road, and Knightsbridge Road.
The SNAP Program of Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is a collaborative, neighborhood‐based approach for advancing urban renewal and climate action in older urban areas. The Knightsbridge community has been identified under Bramalea SNAP as a priority area by several different sectors including public health, food security, social services, climate change, environment, and housing. This community is comprised of clusters of older post‐war tower apartment buildings with thousands of low‐income households, marginalized residents and newcomers, and in some areas higher‐than‐average rates of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Access to affordable healthy food is a top‐of‐mind interest for many residents, and local programming is limited. This community is also more vulnerable to climate change impacts and increased heat stress due to lack of air conditioning and poor ventilation, limited tree canopy cover, vast paved surfaces, and underutilized parkland that may be difficult to access. Social isolation and mental health conditions are also a concern in this tower community.
Additionally, Brampton's draft Climate Risk Assessment also highlights stormwater risks such as local flooding and stormwater quality within the City. Stormwater in the Knightsbridge community area flows along the roads, into catchbasins and then into underground storm sewers without the opportunity for flow reduction or water quality improvement. The stormwater eventually discharges into Spring Creek and Etobicoke Creek.
As part of this project, the City is exploring opportunities to add Low Impact Development (LID) features in the Right-of-Way to improve water quality, restore groundwater recharge, and align with Brampton’s Complete Streets Guide and the SNAP program goals.
Project Overview
There is an Active Transportation project within the Knightsbridge community, that aims to redesign the roads to enhance pedestrian safety and deliver new community benefits. In the short term this may include temporary changes such as new road markings that will be used to adjust lane widths and calm traffic. In the longer term, the roadway may be reconfigured by shifting curbs to create more space for community use and active transportation. The redesigned space may provide room for dedicated walking and biking path, or additional parking spaces, along with LID features that improve stormwater management. Examples include bioretention areas and permeable pavement, which help filter and clean runoff before it enters the storm sewer system.
This project also aims to meet MECP’s Consolidated Linear Infrastructure Environmental Compliance Approval (CLI ECA) requirements, which guide stormwater management in new and retrofit projects. The goal is to capture and treat 90% of the annual rainfall amount, before it is discharged into the natural environment.
Under the current phase of the project, a detailed LID Feasibility Study will be completed to assess local site conditions and recommend the most effective solutions to provide environmental, social and climate resilience benefits while meeting criteria in the City’s CLI ECA and Complete Streets Guide.
The following work will be completed under this phase of the project:
- Environmental investigations,
- Community Consultation – Design workshops, and
- Feasibility study report and conceptual design.
