VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
The Missing Middle: Multiplexes, townhomes, and low-rise apartments that bridge the gap between single-detached houses and high-rises.
Nick Hill, Partner, Realist: We are currently in the midst of both a housing crisis and a kind of “waste-of-space” crisis in our major cities. Missing middle housing addresses both of those challenges at the same time.
Brendan Charters, Partner, Eurodale Design + Build: Over the next five to ten years, the future of missing middle housing in Ontario represents a significant opportunity.
Nick Hill: The missing middle has been missing for a reason — largely due to zoning and permitting barriers — but we are now at the forefront of an emerging market. As with any early adoption, there will be challenges, but there is also major opportunity for those who enter the space early.
We’re standing in one of these beautiful multiplex spaces right now. There should be many more of these across the country, particularly here in Canada’s largest city where we have so many residential homes.
Brendan Charters: One thing I wish people understood about multiplex housing is that building this type of housing does not upend the fabric of a neighbourhood or destroy what people know as their norm. Quite simply, many of the projects we’ve completed at Eurodale look very similar to the single-family homes beside them. You could walk past them and never know they were multiplexes.
Jim Cunningham, Partner, Eurodale Design + Build: Builders can help communities see how appealing this housing can be by showing thoughtful designs or models of what these homes look like within existing neighbourhoods. This helps demonstrate that they are not large, overwhelming structures that tower over nearby houses. It also helps people understand the future possibilities these homes offer — whether that’s aging in place, housing adult children, or allowing families to remain in the same neighbourhood.
Multiplex housing can also strengthen communities by allowing more service workers and families to live closer to where they work. As housing prices rise, many people are forced to live an hour or more away from the communities they serve. This type of housing helps bring people back into the neighbourhoods where they belong.
Brendan Charters: When firms like ours design, build, and manage these projects, they can genuinely improve a neighbourhood. They add well-designed housing, support local businesses by bringing more residents into the area, and can even contribute positively to existing property values.
Over the next decade, I believe this housing type will continue to grow in importance. We simply are not building enough housing, and people will continue moving to the Greater Toronto Area. There is tremendous opportunity here. Our cities cannot rely only on single-family homes and high-rise towers — we need the housing in between.
Missing middle housing is a key part of that solution.
