Housing Affordability Workshop #3
On Wednesday, October 20th our group hosted the third community learning workshop on a core topic of policy within the spectrum of housing issues. Our guest speakers were
Architect and urban designer Naama Blonder, co-founder of Smart-Density consulting and design think-tank in Toronto.
Industry professor and researcher Steve Pomeroy of Focus Consulting, who teaches Social Sciences at McMaster University.
The speakers presented their perspectives on a crucial question: what can be done in favor of housing affordability at the policy level? The discussion with the audience delved into the merits of Inclusionary Zoning policies and the Provincial Definition of Affordable Housing. Both of those topics came out of our working groups’ ongoing discussion on the issues of housing and homelessness.
As Inclusionary Zoning is about to be introduced as part of the New Official Plan, it is yet unclear whether it can help affordability. The Official Plan includes a definition of affordable housing. Naama Blonder shared her professional impression on how the updated Definition in Toronto is open to interpretation by stakeholders, not in favor of affordable units. She touched on the lack of family-friendly development in Ontario, with building trends geared towards smaller units. According to Naama, a shift in culture can signal to developers that families, including young generations, have a need for new typologies on the market. This shift would also counteract the sprawl - and price hike - of suburban single-family homes.
Steve Pomeroy gave a “crash course” on Inclusionary Zoning, and shared the analysis he completed for IZ potential in Toronto. Depending on the neighbourhood, it is feasible to dedicate between 10%-30% of new developments as affordable units. According to Pomeroy, this policy can be leveraged by communities as a “normalized” prerequisite to developing a project.
Both speakers agreed that the housing system is broken as it fails to provide reasonable access to stable housing options. Pomeroy noted that more than a problem of new supply, the housing crisis stems from failure to maintain the existing stock of affordable units. Nonetheless, the evening ended with a hopeful note: more people are talking about housing affordability. In the recent federal election housing issues were more prominent on party platforms than before. The time is ripe for voters and communities to pressure our representatives to resolve the housing crisis.