Planning Sustainability, Practicing Behavior: The TransformTO Challenge

In 2017, Toronto launched TransformTO, a comprehensive climate action strategy aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance the city's resilience, health, economy, and social equity. The strategy set ambitious targets, including achieving net-zero emissions by 2040, with interim goals of a 65% reduction by 2030 and 45% by 2025, relative to 1990 levels. TransformTO encompasses key sectors such as buildings, transportation, energy, and waste, and emphasizes co-benefits like improved public health and economic growth.

Despite these commitments, Toronto is not on track to meet its 2030 emissions reduction target. Analyses indicate that without transformative action across all sectors, the city is unlikely to achieve its 2030 and 2040 goals. A significant challenge lies in the strategy's limited integration of behavioral science insights and community engagement mechanisms necessary for lasting change. While TransformTO outlines technical solutions, it lacks robust frameworks to influence and sustain behavioral shifts among residents, particularly in diverse and equity-seeking communities.​

This episode examines the behavioral dimensions of urban climate policy: To what extent is TransformTO designed not only to build sustainable infrastructure but also to influence how people live, think, and act in the face of climate change? Can net-zero targets be achieved without addressing the habits, values, and psychological barriers that shape public behavior? We explore how municipal climate planning can evolve to place human behavior, not just emissions metrics or technical interventions, at the center of its mission. 

Our special guest this week is Professor John Robinson. Professor Robinson teaches both at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and the School of the Environment at the University of Toronto. He currently serves as the Presidential Advisor on the Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability and is Co-Chair of the President’s Advisory Committee on these issues. His work sits at the intersection of research, public policy, and institutional leadership, with a focus on integrating sustainability across academic and operational domains.

Before joining the University of Toronto, Professor Robinson held several leadership roles at the University of British Columbia, where he founded the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS), one of North America’s most advanced living laboratories for sustainable building and urban systems. He also played a key role in the development of MetroQuest, a participatory urban planning tool used by cities across North America. He has worked extensively with graduate students, academics, municipal leaders, and community groups, championing research that is inclusive, applied, and grounded in real-world change.

Tune in as we examine why TransformTO is a resourceful program for implementing sustainability strategies across Toronto, and what gaps currently exist within its mechanisms.

Produced by: Julia Brahy