Micro-housing to Promote Housing Affordability

This document is part of the Research Insight series, under research priority area Housing Needs and Conditions. A full report is available in the insight.

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Project Overview:

The research objectives were to:

1. identify strategies and/or recommendations for changes or supports to address implementation barriers
2. explore development planning issues that prevent development of micro-suite projects
3. summarize potential building code and design issues
4. consolidate stakeholder perspectives regarding the implementation of micro-suites within existing communities.

Implications for the Housing Industry:

In terms of affordable micro-suite market rentals, the recommended next steps for cities is to follow the example of other jurisdictions and conduct pilots. As part of a pilot, cities should:

• find allies within the community
• incorporate different measures to build community interest and involvement
• consider relaxing regulatory barriers conditionally based on established design and affordability criteria.

About CMHC Research Insights

Research Insights are summaries of our research reports. These insights:

• identify a housing research issue, gap or need
• provide an overview of the research project undertaken to address it
• present major findings of the research