The Opportunity for Affordable and Equitable Missing Middle
Residential neighbourhoods dominated by single-family homes occupy the majority of the land area in most Canadian city regions. This “Yellowbelt” offers enormous untapped potential for adding new housing supply cost-effectively and quickly in locations with existing infrastructure and services. Data show that some of Canada’s low-rise neighbourhoods are declining in population (Kramer 2019), as municipalities concentrate development in high growth nodes dominated by tall towers or push growth outward – “tall and sprawl.” Yet there is another path forward. “Missing middle” housing – ranging from a garden suite added to a single-family home to a midsize, 8-10 story apartment building, could provide gentle density in these residential neighbourhoods.
Missing Middle housing adds density to existing residential neighbourhoods while maintaining the community’s fabric through a range of housing options that enable multigenerational living and family-friendly homes, reversing population decline. The new density increasesthe number of customers for small and local businesses, and allows employees to live in closer proximity to their workplace, leading to stronger and more prosperous local economies. Missing Middle housing adds to existing neighbourhoods that are already served by transit and municipal infrastructure, rather than pushing development out to greenfields and car-dependent neighbourhoods. Such utilization of existing services and infrastructure preserves farmland and natural ecosystems, saves resources, and reduces the carbon footprint.
Jurisdictions throughout North America and beyond are introducing programs and reforming policy in effort to add Missing Middle housing. Early adopters include Minneapolis, the State of California, and cities in New Zealand. Vancouver and Toronto are not far behind. Recently, and swiftly, Toronto introduced its laneway and garden suite programs and presently is developing its multiplex policy.
Missing Middle housing has the potential to add new housing options to exclusive low-rise neighborhoods largely dominated by single family homes, where housing costs are out of reach for many residents. More housing and more residents in these communities will help support local businesses, services and transit. However, early analysis suggests that current and proposed approaches to Missing Middle housing will bring it to fruition at market rate. While the price point and rent of these multi-units may provide a market-rate option that is more “attainable” (i.e. a lower price point) than a single-family home in the same neighbourhood, there is currently little evidence in the Canadian context that that these approaches, particularly for plexes, will deliver meaningful affordability.
Visualizing Population Change in Canadian Cities
On the School of Cities website, you can find an interactive map displaying population growth and decline in Canadian cities between 1996 and 2021.