Designers & Builders

Key insights:

Single-family zones – which cover three-quarters of residential areas in many Northern American cities – can produce harmful side effects such as inflated land values, racial and economic segregation, and urban sprawl. In response, many communities are looking at ways to introduce “missing middle” housing into existing single-family neighbourhoods.

One of the most notable reforms in recent years was the Minneapolis 2040 Plan, implemented at the beginning of 2020. Housing policies in the plan made headlines as it meant Minneapolis became the first major city in the US or Canada to abolish single family- zoning, allowing duplexes and triplexes to be built on most residential blocks. The Plan also included several provisions related to denser housing, including eliminating parking requirements and upzoning transit corridors and downtown areas.

This Small Housing Case Study shares key details of the Plan, its impact to date, and what other communities can learn from it.

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Key insights:

This guide paper addresses the ownership and operations of gentle density housing in British Columbia. It was created in collaboration with industry experts and includes key recommendations to remove barriers that reduce the viability and uptake of gentle density housing.

The actionable recommendations contained in this guide paper provide specific and clear direction to the responsible parties on how they can support the removal of barriers and enhance the viability of gentle density projects for the homeowner-developer in British Columbia.

Supporting and incentivizing homeowner-developer-led projects is, in the opinion of the roundtable, the most likely model to succeed at implementation at scale, while putting community and affordability first.

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Key insights:

This Small Housing guidance paper presents research findings from interviews, focus groups and a multi-stakeholder roundtable, including the participation of industry experts, building officials and key government representatives to unpack current barriers to adoption and explore approaches to accelerating the use of offsite construction to grow gentle density supply.

This guidance paper provides background information, identifies key barriers and offers recommendations in seven areas:

Government Initiatives
Industry Collaboration and Knowledge Building
Municipal Toolkits for Offsite-Ready Local Governments
Offsite-Ready Construction Financing
Pilot Studies for Modular Streamlining
Standard Design Catalog and Design Competition
Enterprise Zone Incentives

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Key insights:

This Small Housing Guidance Paper presents recommendations that will assist various actors involved in planning, designing and constructing energy efficient buildings, especially as it relates to new gentle density development.

It provides background information and identifies challenges and recommendations in eight key areas:

Building industry productivity and collaboration
Expertise gap in building sector
Training and skills development
Standardization and process improvement
Challenges with legislation and bylaws
Focus on embodied carbon
Energy modeling and verification
Infrastructure and utilities

Discover organizations from across Canada & internationally who are contributing towards the gentle density movement and the delivery of homes that people want, need & deserve.

About: The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies strives to improve equitable access to decent, affordable homes in thriving communities.

The organisation conducts rigorous research to advance policy and practice, and brings together diverse stakeholders to spark new ideas for addressing housing challenges. Through teaching and fellowships, they strive to mentor and inspire the next generation of housing leaders.

For more information: Head to the JCHS website.

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: Casita Coalition

About: Casita Coalition stands out as the sole statewide (USA), multi-sector organization uniting key stakeholders to eliminate policy barriers, leaving a significant imprint with neighborhood-scale homes.

Through their Board, Advisory Committee, and Working Groups, they harness the diverse expertise and experience of their members to help simplify the construction of middle homes in all California neighborhoods and disseminate solutions among an expanding community of professionals.

Spanning diverse disciplines and geographic regions, they foster collective learning and swift implementation to fortify the middle housing ecosystem.

For more information: Head to their dedicated website.

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: Strong Towns

About: Strong Towns is a dynamic nonprofit committed to reshaping urban development paradigms. Their vision is clear: make the Strong Towns Approach the default for growth, development, and prosperity in every city, town, and neighborhood.

Their mission is ambitious—replace the post-war Suburban Experiment with financially robust and resilient development. They advocate for cities of all sizes to be safe, livable, and inviting, elevating local governments to collaborative hubs.

For more information: Explore their work on gentle density & missing middle housing, or if you’re interested in broader urban matters, head to their homepage here.

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: Association of Bay Area Governments

About: The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) defines itself as “part regional planning agency and part local government service provider.” It has a mission to strengthen cooperation and collaboration across local governments in California to build healthier, stronger communities and strives to accomplish their goals by providing planning services and cost-effective ABAG member services to local governments struggling with rising costs and diminishing incomes.

The public is invited to all ABAG meetings and has access to the same tools and research, with a focus on a broad range of policy areas, including the delivery of gentle density & missing middle housing.

For more information: Head to their website.

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 Terner Center for Housing Innovation

About: The mission of the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at the University of California at Berkeley is to formulate bold strategies to house families from all walks of life in vibrant, sustainable, and affordable homes and communities.

Established in 2015, the organisation has quickly become a leading voice in identifying, developing, and advancing innovative public and private sector solutions to the nation’s most intractable housing challenges.

Their work provides timely analysis and data-driven research to support policy and innovation for policymakers, practitioners, and advocates in addressing with urgency the multiple, layered crises of housing affordability, entrenched inequities, and climate change. The Terner Center aims to provide actionable, pragmatic paths that are based in evidence and can bring together a coalition to make change, including in the field of gentle density & missing middle housing.

For more information: Head to their website.

On this useful resource page courtesy of the University of Toronto, the School of Cities, and Toronto Metropolitan University, embark on a journey through the evolution of “Missing Little” housing, a concept stemming from Daniel Parolek’s “Missing Middle.”

Coined by Michael Piper, the “Missing Little” envisions inserting gentle density into existing single-family housing, addressing affordability and fostering walkable urban living.

Key insights:

Delve in & explore varied “Missing Little” housing categories throughout Toronto.
Gain insights from owners and tenants sharing experiences and challenges, illustrating how optimizing land use can potentially create 200,000 new affordable and gentle density units in Canada’s major cities by 2030.

Designers & Builders

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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?

Key insights:

Are you a planner?

Do you have resources to share?