(CS5.1) Responding to a Housing Crisis through Heritage Conservation

In the context of Ontario’s housing crisis, the debate is live as to whether heritage conservation is at odds with establishing new and desperately needed residential density, particularly in urban contexts. Low- and mid-rise historic building fabric, imbued with meaning by local communities, is often located in transit-rich built-up areas, precisely where planning policy directs urban growth.

Recent changes to the Ontario Heritage Act have sought to reduce friction between heritage and housing by cutting red tape, but how is this bearing out on the ground? Moreover, how are designers responding to the call for greater residential intensification while at the same time preserving existing housing stock?

This session will unpack the debate between heritage architecture and residential intensification, exploring planning and design solutions to facilitate residential intensification by leveraging existing historic building fabric. A series of innovative Ontario case studies will demonstrate how meaningful conservation and intensification objectives can be achieved while minimizing displacement, confronting gentrification, and taking positive climate action. Case studies will also highlight the provision of housing for diverse user groups, including urban Indigenous communities, and vulnerable and at-risk community members.