LawnShare: Identifying potential for land diversification through the transformation of lawns
Published by:
David Suzuki Foundation and partners
Authored by:
Maxime Fortin Faubert,
Alexandre Huet
Partners:
David Suzuki Foundation,
Dark Matter Labs,
Nouveaux Voisins
The David Suzuki Foundation launched the LawnShare campaign in 2024 to encourage people to rethink their lawns by sharing space with nature and creating habitats for native species. Aimed at households, businesses, and municipalities, the campaign raises awareness about the environmental impacts of turfgrass-dominated urban landscapes and invites participants to return portions of their lawns to native plants and wildlife.
This report outlines the mapping methodology developed for the campaign’s pilot cities: Laval, Montréal, Saint-Jérôme, and Sherbrooke. These Quebec municipalities were chosen for their data availability, size diversity, and ecological variation. Using aerial imagery and LiDAR data, the report demonstrates how to map lawn areas, offering a replicable approach for other Canadian cities.
Despite some limitations, the findings fill a critical data gap and provide visual tools to support LawnShare’s outreach and education. The maps help show where lawns can be transformed into richer green spaces, guiding public engagement and planning. The report also identifies broader uses for the data, from sustainable urban development to academic research.
