The Government of Alberta has launched a web form to engage and identify sources of delay in housing development across the province, and within its municipalities.
Consider sending your response in today! Pick a few of your favourite housing issues, and explain their importance to the province here:
Take a look at the letter I wrote in, if it’s helpful inspiration!
Bis’ Open Letter to the Province
Restrictive zoning practices and building code regulations are the largest source of delay and deferral in housing, community, and city-building all across the province but especially in the City of Calgary.
Rezoning for Housing was a step in the right direction - but even this only enables a small fraction of the land potential so many places in Calgary truly have - even this discriminates some low-density housing forms as “discretionary.”
I’m afraid that the Zoning Bylaw reforms will be too little too late, enabling new forms of gatekeeping, or maintaining the same old forms - carving out bastions of exclusion in wealthier areas of the city, where housing is most-needed, and least-encouraged.
It will be impossible to incrementally and tastefully integrate “missing-middle” housing forms into Calgary’s best communities in economic and sustainable ways without the province’s help.
The province must enact building code reform, including support for single-egress construction. This would allow smaller apartment buildings that are economical and timely to build, are suitable for families, and visually integrate into residential communities.
Help Alberta become the most progressive and ambitious jurisdiction on the continent when it comes to housing and transportation. Let’s legalize single-egress, and incremental development - and support non/mixed-market development, supportive housing, and rapid mass transit to connect it all together.