Developing Mixed-use Affordable Communities: Identifying Opportunities for more Sustainable and Affordable Suburban Development in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA)

This research project builds on a strong partnership with Parallel Architecture, an architecture and planning firm interested in exploring the role of private city-builders in redressing the housing affordability crisis and finding progressive ways of leveraging current federal, provincial, and local policies. This project seeks to examine: (1) how can new mixed-use suburban development meet the conditions of affordability and complete communities?; (2) what costs in the development and financing process of mixed-use developments can be effectively lowered through current policies?; and (3) what examples exist at the national scale of housing that is affordable, efficiently built, and attractive in suburban mixed-use communities and what can be learned from such contexts and experiences that may be transferable to the GTHA? By collaborating with York University and the Ontario Professional Planners Institute, Parallel Architecture will gain insight on best practices in mixed-use affordable housing development in the suburban context.

Faculty Supervisor:

Luisa Sotomayor

Student:

Partner:

Parallel Architecture;Ontario Professional Planners Institute;N. Barry Lyon Consultants Limited

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

York University

Program: