[Place+Space]: Powering Our Housing Future invites innovation for affordable housing

(Toronto, ON, September 22, 2022) Future Cities Canada, the national cross-sector initiative led by Evergreen designed to accelerate innovation to transform cities, presents its 2022 must-attend program [Place+Space]: Powering Our Housing Future. The virtual gathering will bring together residents with companies and public sector innovators to engage on the latest solutions that create more resilient and affordable housing.

“[Place + Space] is an event that will connect today’s building innovation with people across sectors who need to take action towards more resilient and affordable housing in Canada.” says Lois Lindsay, Chief Program Officer at Evergreen. “We know that housing is so much more than a buildings with four walls. The Forum is a critical moment to build on our shared ambition for the future of housing to create inclusive, regenerative communities where everyone can thrive.”

According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, we need 5.8 million new homes by 2030 to tackle the affordability crisis. To plan our housing future, we need big ideas now. What are the latest technologies and solutions to build homes quickly and sustainably? What makes a welcoming home and community? How can we reimagine housing to support an inclusive and resilient future?

“We hope all attendees will bring ideas forward and leave feeling positive for change with our affordable housing and regenerative living goals.”

[Place+Space] provides an important meeting place with several exciting sessions and networking channels to spark partnerships and create opportunities from across the country and around the world.

Themes include:

• Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion
• Building Partnerships and Engaging Communities
• Building Scalable, Affordable, and Resilient Homes

For more details and to register, visit www.futurehousing.ca 

Highlights of [Place+Space]:

Wednesday, October 26, 2022 

• Welcome, Launch and Keynote: Following a welcome from Evergreen, Angela Cooke, Associate Deputy Minister, Housing, Construction Standards, Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism, Government of British Columbia will offer a keynote speech on successful governmental housing policies to address housing sustainability and equity.
• Making Way for Inclusive Housing Solutions Using Anti-Racism Frameworks: A session dedicated to some of the ways people and organizations are innovating to deconstruct systemic approaches and empower people to move forward with anti-racism frameworks for housing solutions.

Thursday, October 27, 2022

• Elected Leaders Panel: A Critical Conversation on Government Action and Policies for Housing Innovation: A moderated conversation on the innovative approaches governments are taking to address the housing crisis. How are they breaking down systemic barriers and ensuring we meet everyone’s housing needs? Steve Paikin, host of TVO’s The Agenda, moderates this dynamic conversation with the political leaders who are responsible for housing in their regions.
• My Future Home Forum: Aspirational Visions for a Just Housing Future: A session around future housing needs of residents in Canada. What should be incorporated into today’s innovative housing solutions? To answer this question, Evergreen hosted the My Future Home Forum workshop series, gathering insights based on lived experience from youth, newcomers to Canada and older adults. Our insights will be released in reports before and after the forum. This session provides an overview of participant insights and how the private, public and community sectors might respond now to collectively create a better and more just housing future for Canadians.

Friday, October 28, 2022

• Latest Breakthroughs in Housing Construction Technology and Climate Resilience: From building more sustainable homes faster to increasing climate resilience for low-income housing, this session looks at how innovative technology and inclusive policies can help us meet our national housing challenges and climate targets.
• Placekeeping: A Home Is More Than Four Walls: A panel discussion around challenges and ideas about what our future homes could look like. Without community and amenities, a house is just a structure. To cultivate a true sense of home, we must also consider what surrounds it – community, green space, services, and transit, to name a few things.

Evergreen Partners: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, TD Bank Group, McConnell Foundation

Convened by: Evergreen

If you have any questions, you can email us at futurehousing@evergreen.ca

Media contact:

Jean-Marc La Flamme, Manager, Communications, Evergreen

jlaflamme@evergreen.ca