When it comes to urban sustainability, cities in the U.S. and Canada are employing innovative programs and policies to improve the health and well-being of residents and their local environments. But (with some notable exceptions, such as Vancouver and Calgary) no successful rapid transit infrastructure projects have been built in Canadian cities for decades.

Over the past decade, researchers from diverse fields have realized what most of us know intuitively: Nature is good for our health and wellbeing. They have discovered countless links between time spent outdoors and cognitive, physical and emotional development.

TORONTO - Oni Joseph used to go to her son's school each fall and explain why he was constantly sniffling and out of breath.Her son, 13-year-old Touss...

Most of us pay an electricity bill, but we don't have a clue about how much electricity we consume. We can't see it. We can't feel it. We don't even know what's 'normal.' Yet we all say it is important. Strange, eh?