The Balanced Supply of Housing research partnership

A housing crisis has emerged in many parts of the country. This is especially true in major urban centres, with growing homelessness and significant mismatches between housing costs and average incomes.

The Balanced Supply of Housing research partnership will examine Canadian housing policies and programs to identify solutions to this crisis. An interdisciplinary team will investigate policy levers and incentives for a more equitable distribution of housing resources. The partnership’s ultimate goal is to create a balanced supply of housing in Canada.

Project scope and expected outcomes

Four overarching questions

The Balanced Supply of Housing program is one of 5 research programs that comprise the Collaborative Housing Research Network (CHRN). It will focus on B.C., Ontario and Quebec, particularly the urban regions of Vancouver, Toronto and Montréal. These locations offer enough difference and common ground for comparative studies into what shapes housing supply and possible adaptations and innovations.

The program will pursue four overarching questions:

• Does the housing system have the right balance of cost and type relative to local earnings?
• Does the housing system have the right balance of housing tenures (such as rent, ownership, co-op, social and Indigenous-led)?
• Does the housing system have the right balance of built form and location (such as sub/urban, apartment, townhome and detached)?
• Do current balances and imbalances in housing markets affect population health, demographic engagement and economic stability? How might policy changes improve outcomes?

Two interconnected sub-themes

Two interconnected sub-themes will guide the research: reshaping the financialization of housing and innovating in responsive land practices.

The financialization of housing has contributed to inequalities in wealth accumulation, gentrification and displacement, among other factors. Exclusionary land practices privilege cultural preferences for low-density homeownership that are at odds with current housing need and demand. The partnership will investigate ways of encouraging a more equitable distribution of housing resources and of building resilient communities.

An intersectional lens

The Balanced Supply of Housing is composed of an interdisciplinary team of academics and community partners from all sectors. Informed by gender-based analysis plus, it will use an intersectional lens when investigating both current housing challenges and potential solutions.

The program is designed to provide research that can be communicated easily to inform effective housing policies. This includes producing a gap analysis of unmet demand for housing, and evaluating housing intervention plans and tracking their outcomes. The partnership also will provide recommendations for social, economic and health benefits for Canadians through access to secure, affordable housing. A knowledge mobilization strategy will work to inform housing policy and public discourse.