Opinion: Density can be done right

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By Franz Hartmann, Coordinator, Alliance for a Liveable Ontario.

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Note: The views below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Liveable Ontario members. 

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Density can be “done right”

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Over the past six months, I’ve been speaking to Ontarians across the province about our Five Ways Home campaign. I’ve given over 35 talks (both in-person and virtual) that have reached well over 1600 people. 

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The feedback has been extremely positive. People love the videos and how we’ve been able to take a complicated issue and make it accessible to normal people.

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At many meetings I’ve also received gentle pushback on two of our actions: Build more homes within existing towns and cities; Build a wide variety of housing types. It usually starts with the phrase “while I like density in principle” and ends with “that’s why I’m afraid of letting density into my neighbourhood.” In almost all cases, this fear has nothing to do with welcoming more people into their neighbourhood. Rather, people express fear that opening the door to any level of density will inevitably lead to hyper density (ie. a large number of tall towers filled with small units). 

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In other words, they don’t see density as a water tap that can be regulated. Rather they see density as a switch. Once it’s turned on, you inevitably get hyper density. 

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It’s an understandable concern since it reflects the lived experience of many residents. 

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Here in Toronto, a neighbourhood around Yonge and Eglinton worked with City Hall to increase density in what is a mostly residential, single family neighbourhood. After a long public consultation process, residents, the city and developers agreed to a plan that would see a significant increase in density. Then, the province unexpectedly stepped in, tore up the plan and changed the laws to allow developers to build more, taller buildings and significantly increase density. Residents felt betrayed. 

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Not surprisingly, when stories like this circulate many fear that any changes that allow more density will be hijacked and open the door to “hyper density.” As a result, many oppose all density -even if it would help their neighbourhood-  because they don’t trust governments to say no to those private developers pushing hyper density to maximize profits. 

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This is a legitimate concern and one that must be addressed if we hope to build more homes within existing towns and cities. 

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Recently, I was asked how we could stop bad density and promote good density. I didn’t have a ready answer.

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Now, I would like to offer one. 

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The simple answer to stopping bad density and promoting good density (what others have called “density done right”) is to practice a quality Canadians are known for across the world: moderation. We’ve all heard the joke “Why did the Canadian cross the road? To get to the middle.”  As a country we generally avoid extremes. We look for the middle ground where people can say “It’s not my first choice, but I can live with it.”

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Applying moderation to building a wide variety of new homes within existing towns and cities looks something like this: 

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• The best way to build more homes in our existing towns and cities and avoid hyper density is to spread density across our communities. Every existing neighbourhood probably has room to accommodate new housing, some more than others. So every neighbourhood should be open to allowing some level of new density into it.

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• Different types of neighbourhoods are suited for different levels and types of density. For example, a neighbourhood close to excellent transit is generally better suited for higher density than a neighbourhood with no transit. Main streets are generally better suited for higher density mid rise and high rise buildings. Single family residential neighbourhoods are generally better suited for gentle density conversions to multi-unit homes, garden suites and laneway houses. Put simply, certain types and levels of density are better suited to certain types of neighbourhoods. The goal is to find the right fit between a neighbourhood and the right density.

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• Rules to determine the right type and level of density in a neighbourhood have to be based on a democratic and inclusive process. Known as zoning bylaws, these rules must truly represent the diverse interests of multiple stakeholders -residential owners, tenants, local businesses, community groups and the development industry. Too often, these rules benefit one or two stakeholders, at the expense of others. On one extreme are rules for residential neighbourhoods that only allow single family homes. On the other are rules that allow any level of density that the land owner wants. Both of these approaches cause significant harm to other stakeholders. 

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• Updating and developing the correct zoning bylaws is best done by the local government. Provincial laws should set the “floor” (eg. minimum density requirements) but municipalities know best how to find the right types and levels of density for their communities. 

• Meaningful public engagement is key to doing density right. That includes actively engaging residents in discussing different types of density and how they could look in their communities. The old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” has to be applied to density. Residents should have the capacity to explore virtually what different types of density could look like in their neighbourhood and then apply these learnings to proposed development proposals for their neighbourhood. As well, meaningful public engagement includes updating public participation in planning decisions to ensure there is true consultation and capacity for all stakeholders to have meaningful input.

• City Councils and city officials must be committed to the “density done right” approach. Time and money needs to be invested in ensuring staff, stakeholders and planning processes are able to ensure density is done right.

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Finally, all of this only works if we trust our governments to actually behave democratically and prioritize finding the middle ground, instead of helping powerful stakeholders. Many people have lost trust in governments to behave properly and therefore don’t engage in any public consultations out of frustration. However, not engaging means policies will continue to reflect the interests of those with the most power.  The only way to get governments to work for us and to make sure density is done right is to demand it of them. With enough public pushback, they will have no choice but to listen (remember the Greenbelt land reversal).

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We have a housing crisis. We have five ways to make homes affordable in Ontario. And density can be done right. Now we need Ontarians to tell their politicians to “do density right.” 

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