Discover organizations from across Canada, and the rest of the world, who are contributing towards the gentle density movement and the delivery of homes that people want, need & deserve.
Name: The Incremental Development Alliance
About: The Incremental Development Alliance was established in 2015 and works with local developers and civic leaders to strengthen their neighbourhoods through the development of small-scale real estate projects (mainly through the production of missing middle housing).
Their service offering includes training to catalyze projects & mentorship to public officials to create a supportive regulatory environment for small scale development to occur.
Their website features sample projects from past clients (including the development of pre-packaged missing middle housing plans and financial estimates in Chattanooga, TN, and re-writing zoning codes in Kalamazoo, MI), shares alumni stories, and lists upcoming Incremental Alliance Development events.
For more information: To learn more about the Incremental Development Alliance, head to their dedicated website.
The BC Government’s dedicated web page aimed at providing information to prospective homeowners interested in building and managing a secondary suite or ADU property.
Key insights:
This page has information for homeowners interested in building and managing a secondary suite or ADU, including a guide and information about the new BC Housing secondary suite incentive program (accepting applications April 2024).
It provides FAQs & responses on secondary suite and an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) are
Articulates some of their benefits to homeowners (e.g., to provide multi-generational living opportunities and provide additional household income).
Further to this, the page links to Home Suite Home, a guide created by the province which details:
Local zoning and building code requirements
Guides homeowners through how to obtain a building permit, notes the rights and responsibilities of becoming a landlord, and provides information on where to find and hire professionals to develop a secondary suite.
Additionally, information is provided on the new Secondary Suite Incentive Program, which will give conditional financing to eligible homeowners to construct affordable attached or detached rental units.
This collaborative report from Happy Cities/ Hey Neighbour Collective summarizes discussions from municipal staff (planners & policymakers), developers, community organizations, and researcher perspectives on how to facilitate social connection in multi-unit housing.
Multi-unit residential buildings can help densify and increase housing supply in growing, land-constrained cities. If designed appropriately, multi-unit residences can also provide occupants the opportunity to lead more socially connected lives.
Key insights:
As the report outlines, elements for social connectedness were identified through group discussions, and included:
Tenure alternatives
Feeling safe
Having exposure to other tenants.
Supportive policies (e.g., exploring alternative ownership models) and design features (e.g., creating clusters of smaller amenity spaces) were articulated to help advance these outcomes.
Along with key challenges, a roadmap is articulated to help collective evidence and increase awareness of the importance of social connection, and pilot the proposed concepts in new housing projects.
Publication date: November 2023
Over the past number of years, we have seen more and more cities across North America change their zoning bylaws to allow for more housing. In Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, Minneapolis, and states like Oregon and California to name just a few, cities are legalizing “missing middle” housing like laneway houses, multiplexes, and row houses to add more density to single family neighbourhoods.
Yet simply legalizing this important kind of housing does not necessarily mean that it will be built.
With this in mind, Small Housing teamed up with Uytae Lee and the team at About Here to produce a video to help shed light on what is preventing more forms of gentle density housing from emerging, and what can be done to overcome these barriers and deliver the types of homes that people want, need, and deserve. Uytae delves into the obstacles hindering the development of Missing Middle housing, such as height and lot restrictions, additional rules for increased density, and financial viability challenges. His reporting also helps viewers gain insights into cities, including Auckland, where successful Missing Middle projects have been delivered.
Small Housing Co-Founder Jake Fry joined the Homebuilders Association Vancouver (HAVAN) and their excellent “Twice Measured Cut Once” podcast alongside The Honourable Housing Minister, Ravi Kahlon, and HAVAN CEO, Ron Rapp to discuss the impact of the Housing Supply Act, and what opportunities it presents for industry and small-scale developers, and crucially, what can be done to enhance its effectiveness.
You can watch the interview via the Youtube video above, or check out the podcast/audio version here, or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Jake Fry of Smallworks talks with Homebuilders Association of Vancouver (HAVAN) and their excellent Measure Twice, Cut Once show about the concept of attainable housing for the missing middle and building modern day communities. Land valuations, environmental impacts of today’s building materials and systems, and the importance of our end goals all add up to a riveting conversation with Jake recommending we keep an open mind to solutions and focus on sophisticated conversations, versus complicated ones.
You can watch the interview on the Youtube video above, or check out the audio version here, or wherever you get your podcasts from.
In this episode of ‘Ask The Experts’ from UrbanLogiq, Tamara White, the Associate Executive Director of Small Housing BC discusses the concept of gentle density homes, often spoken about in the context of “Missing Middle” housing types.
Published in 2023, the video explores:
What do we mean when we say gentle density
How it differs from traditional density
What are the benefits it can bring to our communities
How can data and technology help progress the scalability and affordability of such homes.
