Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Examination of the roles of housing in an urban society, the evolution of urban housing policy in Canada, the policies that shape the existing housing system, and proposals for modifying housing policies and programs. The role of affordable housing as an essential component of a sustainable community will be emphasized.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course begins from the perspective that housing is a human right. Adequate housing has been recognized as playing a critical role in our physical and mental health. Policy makers at all levels of government have identified access to adequate housing as a key concern to cities and communities of all sizes. But what does adequate housing mean? And how have various levels of government tried to address the need for a suitable supply of adequate housing? What is the state of housing policy in Canada today? We will answer these questions through an interrogation of housing policy and the practice of housing development in Canada alongside some comparative international examples. En route, we will explore a diverse set of topics, from affordable housing and efforts to end homelessness to the theory behind ‘social mix’.

The course is divided into three segments. In Part I: From the state to the neighbourhood: A top-down look at housing policy, our focus will include: the intergovernmental relationship of housing policy in Canada; the enhanced role of municipal government in addressing social and market housing; and the role of
housing development in local/national economies.  In Part II: The role of regulation, we will examine place-specific manifestations of urban regeneration strategies; the myriad ways zoning is used in housing policy; and efforts to criminalize street involvement and homelessness, as well as responses to homelessness and strategies used to resist its criminalization. Part III: Housing our diverse needs juxtaposes one-size-fits-all housing policy and its operational qualities alongside the specific housing needs and challenges of diverse contemporary communities. We will discuss: the ways that housing policy animates the (presumed) family structure and function; the state of urban Aboriginal housing; the inter-relationship of housing and social policies at City Hall; and evidence of social exclusion that immigrants and refugees face in Canada’s destination cities, suburbs, and smaller urban centres.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Students will gain insight into the historical context and contemporary economic, political, and social factors that inform how policy makers, planners, housing rights activists, and residents address the need for a healthier housing system in Canada. Students will research and develop their own analysis of housing policy and present it in the form of a policy brief.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING: