As a housing policy and research manager, I spend a lot of time thinking about housing solutions. For several years now, I’ve been using the following catch-phrase as a mantra whenever I get the opportunity to speak to groups:

“The goal of housing policy should be to create more housing options, for more people, in more places.”

Many would agree that it’s a laudable goal. But what does it actually mean, and what housing policies would get us there? Let’s break it down into its three components.

More Housing Options …..

Canada’s housing stock has long been dominated by two main categories: single-detached houses and apartment buildings. While both options have their merits, we’ve under-emphasized a plethora of other structural housing types, such as multiplexes, row housing, stacked townhouses, tiny homes and laneway/coach houses.

Expanded acceptance and incorporation of prefabricated modular housing via accelerated design, approval, financing and inspection would also greatly assist the gentle densification of existing neighbourhoods.

But, in addition to all that, there needs to be more tenure options beyond fee simple, strata and rental. Co-ops need to come back; co-housing needs to be expanded; lock-off suites should be encouraged. More non-market and seniors housing needs to be funded. In a wealthy nation like Canada, we should not have people who are homeless and unsupported.

None of these are new ideas, but they remain underutilized. We need to throw the door wide open to these different forms of housing to meet the varied needs of residents at different stages of their lives.

There is no silver bullet solution to fixing housing — that’s why I don’t support looking at a single stat, such as housing starts, to determine our success or failure at solving our housing supply problems.

For More People …..

People need different forms of housing during their life span. And people have different preferences. Not everyone starts in a one-bedroom apartment and “climbs the ladder” until they reach a single detached home. So we need housing that works for :

• first-time buyers/renters;
• move-up buyers/renters;
• expanding-family buyers/renters;
• downsize/rightsize buyers/renters;
• non-market/subsidized buyers/renters;
• senior buyers/renters; and
• assisted-living seniors.

In past years, zoning and other land-use policies have favoured certain demographic groups in certain geographic areas, forcing people to move neighbourhoods as their housing needs changed.

These policies also created situations in which people who transitioned from families to empty nesters and loved their neighbourhoods had few alternatives other than remaining in their now oversized homes.

In More Places …..

People should be able to access the housing they want and need in virtually every part of their community.

For young people who grew up in their parents’ home and would love to remain living in the neighbourhood, why shouldn’t there be secondary suites or an apartment unit to rent nearby? And when those same people are ready to purchase a starter home, why shouldn’t there be a four-plex unit, laneway home or condo apartment within a couple of blocks? If they get married and start a family, there should be two- or three-bedroom units nearby, so their children can attend the same schools they did.

Later in life, they should be able to find appropriate units for downsizing in the same vicinity, as well as seniors’ independent-living and assisted-living facilities.

We are seeing efforts to ease zoning restrictions so that more types of housing can be built in more places, but we are also seeing resistance from some municipalities that prefer the status quo over neighbourhood change. While change can be scary, the vision of a community that is welcoming to all should remain a shared goal.

Creating true, full-life-spectrum communities — complete with appropriate retail and service facilities, employment opportunities, recreational facilities and parks, walking paths, bike lanes and public transportation – would go a long way to create the walkable, complete neighbourhoods that so many of us crave.

Wouldn’t it be nice if every community had more housing options, for more people, in more places?

More Housing, More People, More Places : Turning A Shared Vision Into Policy by Mark Sakai | REM Real Estate Magazine