Backgrounder: Federal government invests in 18 innovative research projects to support housing and infrastructure needs

Burnaby, British Columbia

BC Housing Research Centre

Best Practices in Building Systems

The project aims to help accelerate whole-system alignment in industry, regulatory and education spheres towards addressing existing challenges and emerging needs for quick adoption of emerging best practices to meet Canada’s housing needs.

$774,551

$36,000

$369,000

Edmonton, Alberta

PolicyWise for Children & Families

Building Youth Homelessness Collaboration with Data

The project aims to help combat youth homelessness by analyzing government data for predictors and piloting a community-based data approach with youth support organizations, with the goal of providing nationwide guidance.

$539,757

$228,520

$0

Fredericton, New Brunswick

University of New Brunswick

Planning for Success: Infrastructure Master Planning for Small to Medium Sized Municipalities – Maturity Assessment and Capacity Building

The project aims to help address infrastructure and housing challenges – particularly those faced by small and medium sized communities - by developing Infrastructure Master Plans (IMPs) that are used to identify major infrastructure investments to meet population growth targets, support affordable housing, and ensure infrastructure is resilient to climate change.

$258,000

$0

$115,738

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Turner Drake & Partners Ltd.

Process and Methodology Improvements for New Best-Practices and a Provincially-Standardized Approach to Housing Needs Assessments

The project aims to help improve Housing Needs Assessments (HNAs) by creating a standardized approach that communities can use. This will help governments support communities of all sizes and strengthen analysis for more effective policy responses.

$358,224

$136,276

$17,250

Hamilton, Ontario

McMaster University

Exploring Multi-Order Housing Investment Partnerships

The project aims to help explore modernizing governance of the Canadian housing system, with a focus on multi-order partnerships, public and private investments.

$235,730

$0

$101,035

Kelowna, British Columbia

University of British Columbia

Community-Engaged Homelessness Infrastructure Development (CHID) Project

The project aims to help develop an evidence-based implementation plan for a Tiny House Community in east Kelowna, aiming to create scalable, sustainable housing solutions to address local housing needs and enhance affordability and homelessness prevention through policy frameworks and evaluations.

$468,780

$0

$200,907

Kelowna, British Columbia

Nucleus Strategies Inc.

Research-driven Data Tools to facilitate Infill Development while supporting Municipal Infrastructure Challenge

The project aims to help gather new data and design digital tools to promote positive systems change to solve challenges surrounding infill housing, and to specifically support affordability and housing diversity to foster more inclusive communities.

$416,001

$0

$178,285

Kingston, Ontario

Queen’s University

3D Printed Concrete: An Innovative, Efficient, and Resilient Solution to Canada’s Housing Needs

The project aims to help advance the adoption of 3D printed concrete (3DPC) technology in Canadian housing construction by conducting large-scale proof-of-concept tests.

$172,400

$0

$74,000

Montreal, Quebec

McGill University

Canadian Housing Observatory

The project aims to help create a national online platform that brings together diverse housing data, allowing for in-depth exploration and analysis of housing issues, supporting broad insights, and promote housing education.

$493,874

$0

$222,618

Montreal, Quebec

Polytechnique Montréal

Platform for evaluating transport-housing strategies 

The project aims to help develop a prototype open-source platform to help households, cities, governments to assess the real affordability of residential locations by considering the cost of transportation and housing, help cities and governments plan transit networks, and help organizations to locate their buildings, by also accounting for the costs of accessing them.

$278,475

$120,000

$0

Quebec City, Quebec

Vivre en ville

Increase and diversify the residential offer in low-carbon living environments

The project aims to help develop a decision-support tool for municipalities to assess the potential of urban redevelopment, including an analysis of the opportunity costs of under-utilization of parking lots, with the objective of increasing the supply of housing in the right places while containing urban sprawl.

$493,007

$213,272

$0

Toronto, Ontario

Canadian Urban Institute

Infill Housing for Canada’s Transit Corridors and Main Streets

The project aims to help build on an existing platform, this project proposes a new method of identifying under-utilized land to increase housing density along transit corridors, while considering environmental, fiscal, social, and equity factors in determining the most suitable locations for housing infill.

$1,692,000

$0

$1,020,679

Toronto, Ontario

Archangel Ventures Inc.

Infrastructure tie-in (site-servicing) Capacity for Converting & Densifying Non-residential Existing Buildings for New Housing

The project aims to help address Canada's urban housing shortage by repurposing commercial office buildings into affordable, sustainable housing, focusing on low-carbon redevelopment and delivering economic feasibility studies.

$1,745,000

$0

$410,000

Toronto, Ontario

Toronto Metropolitan University

Navigating Transformation: A Comprehensive Study of Transit Infrastructure Investments and Their Implications for Black Renters in Toronto

The project aims to help conduct a detailed study on the impacts of transit investments on low-income and racialized communities in an Ontario city, specifically tenants. The results and findings to inform policy decision makers on transit investments, while ensuring the protection of vulnerable communities from displacement and unaffordable housing.

$487,613

$0

$213,017

Toronto, Ontario

University of Toronto

Accelerating Affordable Housing Development with an AI-Assisted Platform for Partnerships

The project aims to help create an online platform to facilitate partnerships between developers, municipalities, and lenders for innovative mixed-use projects, promoting affordable housing solutions, diverse collaborations, and increased participation from non-traditional funders.

$280,000

$0

$0

Vancouver, British Columbia

Light House

Home Relocation and Renewal Feasibility Study

The project aims to help develop a feasibility study on the potential to replicate and scale the Home Relocation and Repurposing Program, whose objective is to provide affordable housing to communities in need, including First Nations and exurban areas, by preserving and relocating high-quality homes in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario.

$233,660

$0

$100,140

Winnipeg, Manitoba

5468796 Architecture Inc.

Shared Ground: Leveraging Social Purpose Infrastructure for Affordable Housing

The project aims to help address the shortage of affordable housing in Winnipeg, Manitoba, through identifying and leveraging under-utilized land and building assets of non-government social purpose organizations to support new affordable housing development.

$450,000

$0

$192,857

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

Taylor Architecture Group Ltd

Prototyping a resilient Northern home: ongoing barriers and alternative solutions

The project aims to help study alternative housing designs that respond to the unique systems, environments, and infrastructure in remote and northern communities. The results and insights to be shared with policymakers seek to support the construction and maintenance of housing in the North.

$480,820

$0

$146,302