01
Stormwater failure
Pipes sized for last century's rainfall are flooding streets and basements that were never supposed to flood.
For municipalities, developers & campus operators
Green & Blue Urban Infrastructure
Design cities & campuses that absorb storms, cool streets, & host biodiversity, without losing buildable land.
The problem
Grey infrastructure alone can no longer keep up with climate
Stormwater volumes, heat events, and biodiversity expectations are all rising at once, while grey-only infrastructure budgets are not.
02
Heat-island liability
Surface temperatures in hard-scaped districts now cross thresholds with measurable public-health and operating cost.
03
Biodiversity scrutiny
Permits, ESG reports, and capital sources increasingly ask the same question: where in the project is nature?
01
Stormwater failure
Pipes sized for last century's rainfall are flooding streets and basements that were never supposed to flood.
02
Heat-island liability
Surface temperatures in hard-scaped districts now cross thresholds with measurable public-health and operating cost.
03
Biodiversity scrutiny
Permits, ESG reports, and capital sources increasingly ask the same question: where in the project is nature?
What is actually at stake
Green-washed landscaping does not pass the next storm, or the next audit.
When green infrastructure is treated as decoration, it underperforms hydraulically, dies under-watered, and erodes the very narrative it was meant to support.
Municipal engineers
Green infrastructure has to demonstrate flow attenuation in litres, not in renderings.
Developers
Stormwater, biodiversity, and public amenity often compete—after key design decisions are made.
Campus operators
Maintenance teams inherit plant palettes they were never trained for, and the asset declines from day one.
The R3 approach
Living infrastructure, designed to municipal standards.
We design green and blue infrastructure as performing systems — sized for the storm, costed against the alternative, and specified so operations teams can keep it alive.
How it works
Our Process
Every engagement moves through the same structured sequence calibrated to the site, the system, and the people who steward it.
- 01
Diagnose
Read the system
Site, ecology, stakeholders, and regulatory frame — mapped before a single line is drawn.
- 02
Design
Plan the long arc
Multi-phase strategy designed by R3 — with licensed engineers, landscape architects, or other technical partners brought in on an as-needed basis.
- 03
Implement
Deliver with care
We work alongside trusted technical specialists to oversee implementation — clear milestones, compliance, and ecological intent held throughout.
- 04
Monitor
ADAPT OVER TIME
Ecological and social metrics defined for your unique project feed an adaptive loop so outcomes hold up over decades.
Expected outcomes
Infrastructure that keeps performing as the climate changes.
Green and blue infrastructure is designed to carry water, cool the air, and add ecological function to the same parcel.
Stormwater that performs
Bioswales, rain gardens, and constructed wetlands sized to your actual catchment and design storm.
Cooler, more liveable blocks
Canopy, green roofs, and living systems designed to moderate heat where people actually move.
Biodiversity on the record
Pollinator corridors and habitat overlays that hold up in permits, ESG reporting, and community engagement.
- Urban forest master plans with species, succession, and canopy targets
- Green roofs and living walls specified for structural and irrigation reality
- Bioswales, rain gardens, and constructed wetlands sized to design storms
- Pollinator corridors and biodiversity overlays across the public realm
- Maintenance and training protocols handed over with the asset
See the possibilities in transformation...
Same street, same parcel — what changes is whether the system absorbs the storm and lowers the temperature. Four representative arcs across the public and private realms.
Sample outputs
What may land on your desk.
Each engagement produces practical assessments, strategies, and recommendations that help clients make informed planning, design, and stewardship decisions.
Site-specific green & blue infrastructure design plan
A comprehensive design strategy for ecological infrastructure across the catchment or parcel.
GIS-based hydrological & heat mapping
Analysis of water flow, surface temperature, and intervention priority across the site.
Vegetation & substrate specifications
Plant palettes and growing media specified to climate, slope, and building load capacity.
Pollinator & habitat integration strategy
Comprehensive plan for biodiversity enhancement woven through the designed systems.
Concept performance assessment
Preliminary evaluation of ecological performance, water management, habitat potential, and climate resilience.
Optional add-ons
Post-installation monitoring, carbon-offset readiness, and stakeholder-engagement toolkits.
Why it matters
Cities now have to perform like ecosystems.
Over 80% of Canadians now live in urban areas, where extreme heat, flooding, and air pollution pose increasing health and infrastructure risk (Statistics Canada, 2021). Green and blue infrastructure offers proven, cost-effective responses: bioswales can reduce surface runoff by up to 90%, and green roofs can lower ambient temperatures by 1–4°C (EPA, 2021).
Ecologically, green and blue infrastructure creates habitat corridors, restores pollinator networks, and reconnects fragmented ecosystems. Socially, it improves access to green space, air and water quality, and community wellbeing.
Economically, it reduces long-term maintenance and energy costs, increases property value, and opens access to sustainability financing and urban-development incentives. Integrating nature into urban systems is no longer optional — it is essential infrastructure for 21st-century cities.
Case example
Quartier des Spectacles, Montréal
Green roofs, bioswales, and pollinator corridors across a downtown district.
In Montréal's Quartier des Spectacles, a partnership between the city and private developers installed green roofs, bioswales, and pollinator corridors across multiple building sites.
The initiative reduced local flooding during peak storms by 65%, lowered rooftop temperatures by 3.2°C, and created new habitat for native bee and butterfly species — helping the city meet its climate-adaptation goals and supporting ESG reporting for private-sector partners.
−0%
Local flooding during peak storms
−0°C
Rooftop temperature reduction
New
Habitat for native bees and butterflies
Bring the catchment, the masterplan, or the campus.
We evaluate site conditions and ecological opportunities to recommend green and blue infrastructure that supports long-term resilience.