As directed by Toronto City Council in October, 2013, the Toronto Green Streets Technical Guidelines were developed as new construction standards for green infrastructure in the right-of-way, for implementation on capital works projects. This was an interdivisional effort funded by Toronto Water, with support from City Planning, and in 2014 a multidisciplinary consultant team was hired (led by Schollen & Company Inc., with The Municipal Infrastructure Group/TMIG, Bousfields Inc., Urban Forest Innovations Inc., and DPM Energy Inc.). Released in 2017, the project built upon the green infrastructure pilot projects dating to 2008, and was integrated into the Toronto Complete Streets Guidelines (Ch.7). It was intended to provide user-friendly technical guidance for planning, designing, and maintaining green infrastructure on both public and private streets and sites, and to help projects to meet the Toronto Green Standard (a requirement of capital projects since July, 2013). The Guidelines are to be applied where streets are being reconstructed, resurfaced or retrofitted, all capital projects, Municipal Class Environmental Assessments, Business Improvement Area (BIA) initiatives, and private/developer projects, as well as area-specific plans such as secondary plans and community improvement plans.

Sheila co-led this in-depth, complex project (as Urban Designer, City Planning) with Patrick Cheung, Senior Engineer, and working closely with Shayna Stott, (Environmental Planner, City Planning), and Kate Nelischer - Senior Public Consultation Coordinator. The last graphic shown was developed by the team to illustrate the scale and scope of work integration required to implement these guidelines. This project received a 2019 Canadian Society of Landscape Architects National Award, Planning and Analysis / Large-Scale Design.