Housing Solution Could Be Down Toronto's Alleys

With substantial growth in population forecasted over the next several decades, Toronto needs to find suitable locations to house all of its expected new residents. One solution that offers considerable promise is to contruct housing along the city's numerous alleys, a development form for which there is already some precedent. Architects Terence Van Elslander and Jeff Stinson are working on a laneway housing study for the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation and have determined that there are up to 6,000 potential laneway development sites within the city. They also estimate that up to $6 million could be added to the city's assessment base without incurring significant servicing costs. Pursuing such a growth strategy could go a long way towards achieving sustainability, writes Christopher Hume.