Rear lanes may prove to be an untapped resource in Toronto's plans to house a growing population.
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.
Thanks to Geoffrey Singer
FULL STORY: Housing solution could be down the city's alleys
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions