Abuses by landlords and poor living conditions are common in illegal rooming houses around Toronto. Activists want to make them easier to build, and regulate, to add affordable housing options for low-income residents.
West Scarborough Community Legal Services and anti-poverty activists are advocating for Toronto to amend its zoning bylaw to allow for rooming houses, reports Jason Miller.
"Today, rooming houses are illegal in Scarborough, as well as in parts of North York and Etobicoke," according to Miller. "Last year, city officials laid charges against several Scarborough rooming house landlords. That crackdown came following the death of 18-year-old Helen Guo, who died after a fire broke out at a residence at 10 Haida Ct., near the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus."
Advocates believe a system of licensing and registration would help monitor rooming houses while giving low-income residents more affordable housing options.
The city is already experimenting with a new approach to rooming houses, spending "$1.5 million for a non-profit to buy and renovate a Parkdale rooming house, in order to keep those units on the market," as part of a pilot project.
FULL STORY: Toronto’s housing crisis sparks conversation about illegal rooming houses
Toronto Adopts Inclusionary Zoning to Spur Affordable Housing Development
Inclusionary zoning, a policy tool designed to ensure new developments include a required number of affordable housing units, will soon be the land of the land in Toronto, Ontario. Not everyone is a fan of the new policy.
Searching for a Path to Legalized Rooming Houses
Toronto could legalize rooming houses, also known as multi-tenant or lodging houses, in an effort to bring the city's many unpermitted examples of this low-income affordable housing type up to humane standards of health and safety.
Inclusionary Zoning Now a Subject of the Toronto-Ontario Spat
Ontario and Toronto keep finding ways to disagree.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
Test News Post 1
This is a summary
Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service