THE RESEARCH PROJECT
PRESENTATION
CASE STUDIES
SYDNEY, NOVA SCOTIA
THETFORD, QUEBEC
VAL-DES-SOURCES, QUEBEC
COMMUNITY DESIGN WORKSHOP
ABOUT CLIMATE POSITIVE DESIGN
© Claire da Rocha Carneiro 2023
PRESENTATION
DEVELOPING FRAMEWORKS FOR CLIMATE POSITIVE DESIGN
While mining and industrial activity is a major source of carbon emissions, the conversion of the disused landscapes they leave behind represents a critical opportunity for landscape architects: the chance to create carbon sinks and take concrete action against climate change. Through three case studies conducted in Canada—in Sydney, Nova Scotia, as well as in Thetford and Val-des-Sources, Quebec—this research project analyzes the transformation processes of post-industrial landscapes through the lens of landscape architecture and design.
Sites shaped by extractive industries have become strategic territories in responding to today’s ecological crisis. They offer fertile ground for the meeting of science and design, inviting us to envision what comes after the intensive exploitation of natural and human resources. Their rehabilitation offers a chance to repair landscapes that have been heavily used, neglected, and contaminated. This process concerns not only the health of ecosystems, but also the well-being of local communities. Aimed at informing professional practice in landscape architecture, this research seeks to develop tools for embracing this opportunity to restore damaged landscapes. By understanding these places as socio-ecological systems, the goal is not only to support carbon sequestration, but also to respond to the specific social and economic needs of each territory.
The project aims to assess the current condition of these reclaimed sites through ecological, social, and economic criteria, to determine how well they align with the principles of Climate Positive Design. The insights gained from this analysis are intended to guide future rehabilitation efforts for industrial and mining sites. The findings from fieldwork, along with the outcomes of a participatory design workshop, will be shared on this platform.
This research is therefore rooted in a set of interconnected concerns: post-industrial and contaminated landscapes, landscape repair processes, restoration design, and Climate Positive Design.
© Thomas Dufresne 2023
CASE STUDIES
OPEN HEARTH PARK, SYDNEY, NOVA SCOTIA
© Benoît Seveno 2016
View of Open Hearth Park
View of former workers' neighbourhood from Open Hearth Park
© Claire da Rocha Carneiro 2023
Soil-toxicity control tool
© Claire da Rocha Carneiro 2023
Open Hearth Park sits on what was once one of Canada’s most contaminated industrial sites: the former Sydney Tar Ponds, a legacy of a century of coal and steel production in Cape Breton. The industrial boom began in the late 19th century, when the Dominion Coal Company and Dominion Iron and Steel Company fueled rapid urban growth and made Sydney a key player in the national economy. At its height in the 1950s, the steel mill employed nearly 6,000 workers.
However, as global industry evolved, Sydney’s operations fell behind. The decline began in the 1960s, triggering job losses, economic hardship, and environmental alarm. Nationalized in an effort to delay closure, the industry limped on until 2000. By then, the Tar Ponds contained hundreds of thousands of tonnes of toxic sludge—an estimated 700,000 tonnes of waste laced with coal tar, heavy metals, and hydrocarbons. It was considered one of North America’s most toxic sites.
Health concerns from residents—both physical and psychological—mounted over the decades. After failed early attempts, a large-scale remediation effort finally succeeded in the early 2000s. As part of the cleanup, the site was transformed into a public space. Open Hearth Park, opened in 2013, now offers trails, sports fields, and gathering places where heavy industry once stood.
THETFORD, QUEBEC
© Tourisme Chaudières Appalaches
View of the tailings and former mine headframe in Thetford
Mine King KB3 historic center and its park
© Heather Braiden 2019
Located in the Appalachian region between Sherbrooke and Quebec City, Thetford Mines grew out of a booming asbestos industry that began in the late 19th century. Following the discovery of a major deposit in 1876, mining operations quickly expanded, and the town was founded to support this growing sector. For much of the 20th century, Thetford was one of the world’s leading asbestos producers.
Mining shaped not only the local economy but also the landscape. Vast grey tailings piles—remnants of extraction—now rise across the region, stark against the natural backdrop of lakes and forests.
As awareness of asbestos-related health risks grew in the 1980s, the industry entered a steep decline. The last mines closed in 2011. Since then, efforts have been made to reclaim the land: replanting initiatives have softened parts of the industrial terrain, and in 2016 the KB3 King Mine Historic Center opened to share the region’s mining legacy. In 2018, Canada officially banned all use and trade of asbestos, marking the close of a defining chapter in the town’s history.
VAL-DES-SOURCES, QUEBEC
© Émy Gervais 2023
© Claire da Rocha Carneiro 2023
© Claire da Rocha Carneiro 2023
The third case study focuses on the former Jeffrey Mine in Val-des-Sources, a town in southeastern Quebec previously known as Asbestos. Like Thetford Mines, the history of this community is deeply tied to chrysotile asbestos extraction. Mining operations began in 1879, and the circular shape of the deposit led to a single major company—Johns-Manville—dominating the site, unlike the more dispersed operations in Thetford.
Over time, the mine grew into a massive open-pit operation, expanding steadily after World War I to meet global demand. Its distinctive stepped walls, cut into the earth in wide terraces, became emblematic of the town. But this growth came at a cost: entire neighborhoods were demolished as the pit expanded into the urban fabric. By 1967, it had consumed nearly half the town's land.
The mining activity not only reshaped the town’s layout but also transformed its topography, as excavated material accumulated in sprawling tailings piles. For decades, industrial needs took precedence over all other uses of the landscape. At its peak, the Jeffrey Mine was the largest chrysotile asbestos pit in the world, and the majority of global asbestos supply came from Quebec—most of it from this site.
As health concerns over asbestos grew and global demand collapsed, the town faced an uncertain future. Mining ceased permanently in 2012. In the face of this shift, local leaders and residents have begun to reimagine the site’s future. Today, Val-des-Sources is exploring ways to integrate the former mine into a broader vision for urban renewal and sustainable development—an effort still very much in progress.
COMMUNITY DESIGN WORKSHOP
In the fall of 2023, the research team, in collaboration with students from the Faculty of Environmental Design at the Université de Montréal, organized a community workshop in Val-des-Sources. Through a series of activities, the goal was to collectively imagine future scenarios for the Jeffrey Mine site.
THREE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WORKSHOP:
Telling the Story of the City Through Images
Using photos of local places shared by residents on social media, participants reflected on their personal memories, emotions, and stories connected to these spaces—revealing what makes Val-des-Sources unique in their eyes.
Drawing Inspiration From Elsewhere to Dream Here
Students presented examples of post-mining landscape rehabilitation projects from around the world. Residents responded by identifying ideas that resonated with their vision for the site—and expressing reservations about others. This exchange grounded the conversation in concrete possibilities.
Sharing Their Boldest Dreams
Participants let their imaginations run free to envision the future of the mine: hiking trails, kayaking, mountain biking, nature paths, and ways to highlight the site's mining heritage. A strong desire also emerged to create a permanent public square inspired by the current Place de la Traversée—a temporary installation that has become a beloved gathering spot for the community.
WHAT WE LEARNED:
A Deep Connection to Mining Heritage
The mine is an essential part of local identity. Participants expressed admiration for the beauty of the site, voiced concerns about losing visible traces of its history, and showed a strong desire to preserve and share that heritage with future generations.
A Space to Reconnect With Nature and the Community
Now partially reclaimed by nature—trees, deer, frogs—the site is seen as a place of potential, where natural and cultural heritage can coexist. A recurring theme was the desire to reconnect the Saint-Barnabé neighborhood, a historic working-class district cut off from the town by the mine’s expansion over the years.
A Site to Be Reimagined Together
The creativity and ambition expressed during the workshop revealed just how engaged and imaginative the community is. The future of the Jeffrey Mine can be one that reflects local values: respectful of the past, open to nature, and full of new possibilities.
ABOUT CLIMATE POSITIVE DESIGN
« Climate Positive Design » (CPD) was created in 2019 by a collective of landscape architects and other professionnals in urban planning and urban design. According to CPD's website, « Climate Positive Design’s mission is to provide a significant contribution to reversing global warming through the exterior built environment ».
Facing the observation that the built environment accounts for 75% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the founders of CPD wanted to develop a framework for professionnals of the field aiming to act against climate change. Climate Positive Design's mission goes even beyond carbon neutrality : the objective is to collectively remove as much CO2 from the atmosphere possible in the exterior built and natural environments, but also to provide environmental, social, cultural and economic co-benefits.
The group provides guidance and develops tools and resources to help carry out climate positive projects. Such projects sequester more GHG than they emit. To attend climate positivity, these projects conduct evidence-based research to evaluate the environmental and carbon impacts of each project. Therefore, planning and design are thought to manage and mitigate these impacts.
Our research project follows Climate Positive Design's mission, aiming to evaluate the environmental, social and economic effects of mining landscape reconversion projects, as well as to enrich CPD's practice.
More information can be found on Climate Positive Design's dedicated website: climatepositivedesign.com