June 10, 2009

A few years ago, the Toronto Community Foundation convened housing experts and the Toronto Community Housing Corporation to explore the potential of commissioning research to clarify and quantify the economic and social benefits of quality public housing.

The Toronto Community Foundation invested in a research report conducted by Duncan Maclennan, entitled Housing for the Toronto Economy, which was launched at the Cities Centre at the University of Toronto, Munk Centre on May 26th, 2009.

The report links affordable housing to a strong and prosperous economy. In his report, Maclennan writes that housing policies should not be developed only in response to social justice issues, but that good housing policies positively affect a broad spectrum of issues including health, safety, transportation, and early childhood development. His recommendations focus on developing housing policies that ensure economic development, social cohesion, and environmental sustainability.

Professor Duncan Maclennan is an international expert on the development of cities, the renewal of neighbourhoods and the economics of housing. Maclennan is the Director of the Centre for Housing Research at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

Read the Report
Housing for the Toronto Economy by Duncan Maclennan (PDF, 540 KB) ››