Guides and How-Tos

Unlock New Space at Home: Burlington’s Garage Conversion Toolkit

Thinking about converting your garage into a livable suite? The City of Burlington’s Garage Conversion Toolkit can help you explore what’s possible—whether you’re creating a comfortable space for a family member or planning to rent it out as a secondary unit.

Designed to spark ideas and support early planning, the toolkit features sample layouts for one- and two-bedroom units, an accessible design option, and a Supply List with estimated costs. It also outlines key considerations like zoning, permits, and construction steps—tailored to Burlington’s local context.

While the toolkit is a great starting point for inspiration, always consult your local municipality or a qualified professional to ensure your project aligns with regulations in your area.

Download the toolkit and take the first step toward making the most of your garage.

New Development Cost Charges (DCC) Best Practices Guide Now Available

The Province of BC has released a new Development Cost Charges (DCC) Best Practices Guide to help local governments streamline how they create and manage DCC bylaws. Built in collaboration with local governments and the development community, the guide encourages standard practices while allowing flexibility for unique local needs. It also offers clear, practical advice on how to calculate and administer DCCs using industry best practices.

For elected officials, a companion guide provides a quick overview of key legislative requirements and best practices. There’s also a new Amenity Cost Charges (ACC) Best Practices Guide focused specifically on amenity-related charges.

By adopting the recommended practices, local governments can simplify the provincial review process and build greater transparency and trust with the development community.

Learn more and access the guide today!

Télécharger (PDF)

Outils pratiques pour les communautés locales

Vous songez à offrir davantage d’options de logement à votre communauté ? Les Considérations réglementaires relatives à la densification douce – élaborées par Small Housing et la SCHL – est votre feuille de route pour y parvenir.

Cette ressource présente l’histoire de l’habitat à densification douce et propose des mesures aux communautés locales, aux urbanistes, aux élus et aux défenseurs du logement. Qu’il s’agisse d’entamer la conversation ou d’affiner les politiques, ce guide offre des conseils clairs et pratiques pour aider à façonner des quartiers plus inclusifs et plus agréables à vivre.

Qu’y a-t-il à l’intérieur ?

Qu’est-ce que la densification douce ? Découvrez comment les communautés définissent et mettent en œuvre ce type d’habitation à petite taille.
Stratégies d’engagement communautaire – Obtenez des outils pour entamer des conversations productives et répondre à des préoccupations communes.
Plan de travail étape par étape – Suivez une approche structurée pour évaluer les besoins en logement et planifier une densification douce.
Modèles de statuts et meilleures pratiques – Découvrez des exemples et des modèles de politiques pour simplifier votre processus.
Ressources supplémentaires et études de cas – Découvrez comment différentes municipalités font de la densification douce une réalité.

Pourquoi ce guide ?

Pratique et actionnable – Conçue pour aider les communautés locales à mettre en œuvre le changement dès maintenant.
Centré sur la communauté – Il s’agit de rendre le logement plus accessible sans perturber le caractère du quartier.
Facile à utiliser – Un format structuré, étape par étape, vous permet de vous y plonger à n’importe quel stade de votre parcours..

Prêt à passer à l’étape suivante ?

Téléchargez le guide pour commencer à façonner l’avenir de votre communauté dès aujourd’hui !

Download (PDF)

Thinking about bringing more housing options to your community? The Gentle Density Bylaw Guide—developed by Small Housing and CMHC—is your roadmap to making it happen.

This resource captures the “story so far” of gentle density housing and provides actionable steps for local governments, planners, elected officials, and housing advocates. Whether you’re just starting the conversation or refining policies, this guide offers clear, practical advice to help shape more inclusive, livable neighborhoods.

What’s Inside?

What is Gentle Density? Learn how communities define and implement small-scale, multi-unit housing.
Community Engagement Strategies – Get tools to start productive conversations and address common concerns.
Step-by-Step Workplan – Follow a structured approach to assess housing needs and plan for gentle density.
Model Bylaws & Best Practices – Explore real-world examples and policy templates to simplify your process.
Additional Resources & Case Studies – See how different municipalities are making gentle density a reality.

Why This Guide?

Practical & Actionable – Designed to help local governments implement change now.
Community-Centered – Focused on making housing more accessible without disrupting neighborhood character.
Easy to Use – A structured, step-by-step format means you can dive in at any stage of your journey.

Launched by the Community Planning Collaborative (CPC) in August 2024, the California ADU Plans Gallery is an innovative web application showcasing an array of prefabricated and traditional site-built designs. While tailored to U.S. jurisdictions, this gallery offers valuable insights for Canadian audiences, particularly for municipalities and planners exploring accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as a way to expand housing supply. Examples such as prefabricated designs and statewide pre-approvals can serve as inspiration for Canadian local governments considering ADU implementation in their communities. The site also includes a demo, offering local governments a preview for launching a similar custom tool.

“The California ADU Plans Gallery gives local governments a place to demonstrate what’s possible for their communities while providing a publicly accessible database of prefabricated plans approved for use statewide,” said David Driskell, principal at CPC, in a press release announcing the launch. “Digital tools like the ADU Plans Gallery help local governments assist their residents through the challenging ADU process and expand housing supply in their existing neighborhoods.”

Explore the California ADU Plans Gallery here.

Download (PDF)

“Throughout the United States, the housing deficit has created an affordability crisis. The underbuilding of new homes following the recession coupled with restrictive policies has led to historically low housing supply–and the high costs that come with it. To highlight the solutions that will address this crisis, Zillow and the Casita Coalition have assembled a playbook of strategies to “Build the Middle” by expanding affordable, middle-scale housing options.”

Our friends at Zillow & the Casita Coalition have published a useful playbook that highlights innovations in the field of gentle density housing, collating them in an actionable framework template.

Download the Playbook.

Our friends at Happy Cities have crafted a one-of-a-kind toolkit designed to enhance social well-being through thoughtful multi-unit housing designs, supporting diverse individuals of all ages, backgrounds, abilities, household sizes, and incomes. As they describe it:

“Over 2023 and 2024, Happy Cities, Hey Neighbour Collective, and researchers from Simon Fraser University worked together with five local municipalities and one First Nation to co-create new policies to encourage sociable multi-unit housing design.

“Building on the learnings from this project—and nearly a decade of prior research—Happy Cities and Hey Neighbour Collective have published a new design toolkit of evidence-based strategies to nurture social wellbeing multi-unit housing. The design principles and actions equip policy makers, planners, designers, and community members to build and advocate for more socially connected, inclusive communities, drawing on long-term research and engagement with residents and housing industry actors—including non-profit housing providers, city planners, architects, and market developers.

“In the face of growing challenges—including an acute housing affordability crisis, extreme weather, social isolation, and an aging population—our social connections are one of the strongest resources we have to chart a more sustainable, resilient path forward.”

Download the Toolkit.

Download (PDF)

Discover the New Standardized Designs for Gentle Density Homes in B.C.

In September 2024, the Government of British Columbia released a series of free, standardized designs to help facilitate the development of gentle density homes. These designs are versatile, using a “building blocks” approach that allows for customization. You can mix and match elements to add features like garages or additional bedrooms and stack up to three storeys high. The collection includes a range of options from duplexes and triplexes to quadplexes and townhouses, with various roof shapes and exterior finishes to blend seamlessly into existing neighborhoods. There are also designs for accessory dwelling units, like laneway homes, and adaptable cottages perfect for aging in place.

All designs comply with the 2024 B.C. Building Code and can be tailored to fit different lot sizes and site conditions across the province. The design files are available for free download and have been compiled into a convenient catalogue for easy browsing.

These standardized designs are expected to save time and reduce costs for local governments and builders, speeding up approvals and construction. This initiative is a key component of the Homes for People action plan, aimed at unlocking more homes faster by creating favorable conditions for rapid housing development.

Click the image to view the designs and access the full document.

Download (PDF)

Vermonters need better housing options and more affordable homes. Achieving this goal requires changing how homes are built in Vermont, particularly regarding the location and types of new homes.

Currently, Vermont’s housing production is focused on large and expensive single-family homes on sizable lots and large-scale multi-family apartments. However, Vermonters seeking housing options in-between, such as duplexes, four-plexes, cooperative housing, senior housing units, age-friendly homes, or townhouse condominiums, face limited choices. Regulatory and financial barriers have made developing diverse homes on a smaller footprint more challenging and complicated for small-scale developers who want to contribute to their communities.

This project aims to change that by unraveling regulatory complexities and reviving common-sense solutions that work for Vermont, such as Missing Middle Homes (MMH). The Vermont Homes for All Toolkit and community engagement process will re-introduce MMH to Vermont by focusing statewide attention on small-scale gentle infill and incremental development as a strategy to address Vermont’s housing and affordability crisis.

Video: In March 2024 the Department of Housing & Community Development launched the Homes for All Toolkit at a special event that brought together novice and emerging small-scale home builders, community development professionals, and local leaders interested in innovative home-building and home-renovation solutions to connect, network, and learn. Watch the Summit recording here!

Supporting the evolution of our single-detached neighbourhoods can be daunting, so Small Housing created the Gentle Density Network as a space where local government planners can tackle these collective challenges together.

Through the Gentle Density Webinar library, you can dive deep into the world of gentle density housing with insights from top experts from government, industry, and community sectors.

Explore cutting-edge practices, unpack emerging trends, and stay ahead of the curve with the latest gentle density insights. You can access the full library of webinars here, and can sign up to the Gentle Density Network here so as to stay informed on upcoming events.

Guides and How-Tos

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Pourquoi ce guide ?

Prêt à passer à l’étape suivante ?

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What’s Inside?

Why This Guide?

Are you a planner?

Do you have resources to share?

Are you a planner?

Do you have resources to share?

Are you a planner?

Do you have resources to share?

Are you a planner?

Do you have resources to share?

Are you a planner?

Do you have resources to share?