* Housing policy, particularly in Ontario, is plagued by “unit-is-a-unit” thinking, which treats a studio condo as equivalent to a 3-bedroom home.
* However, homes with a minimum of [three bedrooms](https://www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca/p/housing-as-a-human-right-requires) are necessary for many families with kids to meet Canada’s “adequate space” standards in their implementation of housing as a human right.
* Examining data for Southern Ontario in the 2016 and 2021 Censuses, we observe that increases in any form of housing are positively correlated with population growth. However, only the growth of ownership-based homes with three or more bedrooms is strongly correlated with the population growth of children under the age of five.
* There is a negative correlation between the growth in 3+ bedroom rental housing and the growth of the population of children under the age of five, as a “conversion to rental” of existing homes crowded out young families.
* The causal relationship between the growth of 3+ bedroom owner-occupied housing and the growth in the population of children is two-sided. Population growth leads to increased demand for housing, which is met by the market. Causality also works in the opposite direction, as communities that create the conditions for the growth of family-sized homes attract young families, and also allow for existing families to have more children.
* The tax, regulatory, and economic conditions in many Ontario communities are making it increasingly difficult for middle-class families to afford a three-bedroom home, resulting in a decline in the population of young children in those communities. This needs to be fixed.
!ping Can&YIMBY
BloodWiz on
More housing would fix this
WAGRAMWAGRAM on
Unless you have bourgeois tastes, you can fit 2 kids in 1 bedroom, and thus your space limit is over replacement rate.
3 Comments
* Housing policy, particularly in Ontario, is plagued by “unit-is-a-unit” thinking, which treats a studio condo as equivalent to a 3-bedroom home.
* However, homes with a minimum of [three bedrooms](https://www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca/p/housing-as-a-human-right-requires) are necessary for many families with kids to meet Canada’s “adequate space” standards in their implementation of housing as a human right.
* Examining data for Southern Ontario in the 2016 and 2021 Censuses, we observe that increases in any form of housing are positively correlated with population growth. However, only the growth of ownership-based homes with three or more bedrooms is strongly correlated with the population growth of children under the age of five.
* There is a negative correlation between the growth in 3+ bedroom rental housing and the growth of the population of children under the age of five, as a “conversion to rental” of existing homes crowded out young families.
* The causal relationship between the growth of 3+ bedroom owner-occupied housing and the growth in the population of children is two-sided. Population growth leads to increased demand for housing, which is met by the market. Causality also works in the opposite direction, as communities that create the conditions for the growth of family-sized homes attract young families, and also allow for existing families to have more children.
* The tax, regulatory, and economic conditions in many Ontario communities are making it increasingly difficult for middle-class families to afford a three-bedroom home, resulting in a decline in the population of young children in those communities. This needs to be fixed.
!ping Can&YIMBY
More housing would fix this
Unless you have bourgeois tastes, you can fit 2 kids in 1 bedroom, and thus your space limit is over replacement rate.