In this new Toronto neighborhood, ‘sponge streets’ double as parks and flood prevention

Fast Company reports that Toronto’s new Ookwemin Minising neighbourhood is rethinking urban design by turning streets into “sponge streets” or green corridors that function as public parks and climate infrastructure, replacing parking with trees, planting, and social spaces to boost liveability while capturing stormwater, reducing heat, and supporting biodiversity. The result is a people-first neighbourhood where streets act as shared courtyards—some car-free, others still accessible but greener—demonstrating how infrastructure, housing and public space can be integrated to address climate resilience and urban growth simultaneously. 

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