From The Conversation:
Cities across North America are experiencing a housing affordability crisis. Key workers such as teachers, nurses and social workers are being forced out of large cities because they can’t pay rent.
In Toronto, someone making $50,000 can only afford a one-bedroom unit in three of the city’s 140 neighbourhoods, forcing one-in-five renters to live in overcrowded shared apartments. To combat this issue, cities are building taller and taller condo towers to create more units. However, these towers are radically changing the surrounding neighbourhoods without improving affordability.
One solution may be to increase urban density and the number of rental units through laneway housing that maintains the character of a neighbourhood.
Cities are increasingly interested in unlocking the potential of laneways and transforming these underused, historically utilitarian corridors, into thriving public places. Building homes along laneways is a crucial ingredient in this goal.