Social Housing and the Need for Regional Urban Planning

This week’s discussion surrounding housing in urban settings was very informative and engaging. I was especially surprised to learn that for Ontario municipalities 77% of social housing funding is coming from the municipalities themselves and only 14% is from the province. I found this statistic an interesting indicator, and perhaps a contributing factor, to why there can often be social housing shortages across the province. It was especially surprising to hear that Toronto actually receives no funding from the province for their social housing.

This kind of information was interesting to me because I have always felt like housing, as an urban issue, still should be heavily reliant on provincial measures to ensure Canadians are able to put a roof over their head at an affordable price. This really ties in to the idea of urban planning and design that we have often been discussing and its place in urban policy. Urban planning that expands beyond single municipalities should often be considered on a regional scale. If there were further mandates and policies on a provincial level then this may be an opportunity for the province to plan out ways in which housing can be planned on a larger scale. While I know that there is a spectrum of housing concerns within public policy, and that it was nearly impossible to address all aspects at one time, I do feel that the growing populations in the GTA and across municipalities presents a unique public policy challenge that should be addressed at all levels of government.

The kind of plans that are beginning to be put forward, such as the Community Housing Renewal Strategy by the Ontario Government, emphasizes partnerships for both funding and for expanding the supply of housing to communities that are often disproportionately represented in community housing solutions but doesn’t seem to address any kind of need to begin to design regions. To me, it seems important to think about the best way the GTA or other areas can optimally locate and create housing solutions. The need for a lens in urban planning and urban design in an increasing population provides a unique opportunity to work through all levels of government. This kind of lens may be useful in order to make multifaceted housing options across the region in ways that will begin to tackle many aspects of the housing spectrum and continue to help all Canadians.