New tools to build social connection in multi-unit housing
As government officials look to ramp up housing supply, planners from six Metro Vancouver jurisdictions work together on new policy and a toolkit to share with others. Learn more at a PlanH webinar on April 3.
Municipalities, the Province and developers are working hard to speed up the delivery of housing supply across the Province. Much of this new supply will be in the form of multi-unit housing.
It is crucial to ensure that the next generation of multi-unit housing promotes a sense of community, encourages social connections among neighbours and provides robust support for aging individuals.
Six jurisdictions in Metro Vancouver have joined a multi-sectoral effort – with support from Hey Neighbour Collective and Happy Cities – to co-create new policy to guide the design of socially connected, inclusive, age-friendly buildings – without sacrificing affordability and environmental performance.
BC Healthy Communities awarded the City of North Vancouver with a 2023 PlanH Healthy Public Policy grant to support the project.
Join us at 11 am on April 3, 2024, for a PlanH webinar with City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan and consultants Madeleine Hebert from Happy Cities and Michelle Hoar from Hey Neighbour Collective. They will discuss their multi-phased policy-making collaboration with five other Metro Vancouver jurisdictions. They will also share best practices from an upcoming toolkit that will be available to local governments across Canada.
We will also be joined by local real estate developer Carla Guerrera, CEO and founder of Purpose Driven Development, who is a leader in the space of sociably designed housing.
Please come ready with questions for all presenters.
Takeaways or outcomes:
- How to increase social equity and connection in multi-unit residential buildings through better design
- What local governments can do to guide inclusive, sociable design while preserving affordability
Qualifies as 1.5 CPL credits through PIBC.
Speaker bios
Linda Buchanan
Linda Buchanan is serving her second term as Mayor of the City of North Vancouver. Prior to being elected Mayor, Linda was a public health nurse for 30 years, working with children and families. She also served two terms as a City Councillor and a term as a School Board Trustee. Her goal is to build an inclusive and healthy community for all people. By focusing on shared prosperity, mobility, sustainability, vibrancy, and people-friendly places, Linda aims to improve livability across the City. Linda has championed making the City of North Vancouver “the Healthiest Small City in the World” and has put the health and wellbeing of residents at the heart of her decision-making.
Michelle Hoar
Michelle is the Project Director for Hey Neighbour Collective, a collective impact initiative housed at the SFU Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue, where she is also a Fellow. Launched in 2019, Hey Neighbour brings together housing providers, non-profits, researchers, local and regional governments, housing associations and health authorities to experiment with and learn about ways of building community, social connectedness and resilience in BC’s fast-growing multi-unit housing communities.
Madeleine Hebert
Madeleine leads housing research and policy projects at Happy Cities, working with professionals and communities to develop solutions to improve social connectedness, resilience, and well-being. Her work promotes collaborative approaches and ensures that spaces provide equitable opportunities for everyone. Madeleine uses her experience designing projects across British Columbia to promote evidence-based housing solutions that support social and economic sustainability. Her educational background includes a multidisciplinary Environmental Design degree from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Architecture from Carleton University.
Carla Guerrera
Carla Guerrera is the founder and CEO of Purpose Driven Development, a firm dedicated to executing mixed-use development projects with a people, planet and profit approach with First Nations, governments, non-profits and investors. Her projects have achieved financial success while pushing boundaries on social and environmental sustainability. Carla specializes in large and complex sites, including waterfront revitalization and brownfield redevelopment. Her passion lies in shaping the future of cities through delivering real estate developments that create communities where everyone can thrive.
| Agenda | |
|---|---|
| 11:00 am | Connie – Introductions and overview of the City of North Vancouver PlanH Project |
| 11:07 am | Michelle – Introduce the project for five minutes (HNC overview, Metro policy window, project overview, where it’s going) |
| 11:12 am | Madeleine – Discuss design principles, examples and highlights from North Vancouver research |
| 11:22 am | Carla – 10 minutes on how Purpose Driven Development amplifies: Delivery of affordable housing; Social equity in housing; Expediting processes and working with municipalities. Carla will demonstrate these approaches through the “Housing By Women For Women” project. |
| 11:32 am | Q&A – Mayor Linda Buchanan joins the panel |
| 11:55 am | Connie – Wrap up, Survey and Calls to Action |
| 12 noon | close |