Our mission

At Small Housing, our mission is to accelerate the adoption of gentle density housing in communities across British Columbia. With single-detached housing representing upwards of 50% of the housing options across the province, there is a big opportunity to create more homes in existing neighbourhoods and more homes within reach.

We are a non-profit organization that collaborates with government, industry, and homeowners to enable the introduction of gentle density, ground-oriented housing in single-family zones.

We work to advance policy and regulatory tools, best practices for home designs, development proformas and affordable housing models, and build the capacity of the sector to increase supply.

Gentle density housing solutions refer to the re-imagination of the single-dwelling zoned neighbourhood through small scale-infill development. These forms range from backyard cottages, laneway homes and secondary suites to houseplexes and infill rowhouses.

The BC Government has recently passed new housing legislation that will remove current zoning barriers for small-scale, multi-unit homes by allowing additional density in single-family zoned land and expediting approval processes. This legislation seeks to deliver more houses faster, with preliminary analysis projecting that more than 130,000 new small-scale multi-unit homes will be built in British Columbia over the next ten years. Gentle density seeks to optimize land use while providing more housing options in neighborhoods without changing their character and fee

Since 2012, Small Housing has been supporting the evolution of single-family neighbourhoods to provide ground oriented homes, equitable for all.

At Small Housing, our team of experts brings together a diverse range of backgrounds, including developers, designers, academics and affordable housing specialists. We offer a unique blend of insights that bridge planning, policy, and proformas to support the growth of more equitable and resilient neighbourhoods in British Columbia.

We are committed to supporting innovation in housing policy, planning, finance, design, and construction, with the aim of creating more housing options, inclusive of attainable and below-market housing.

By enabling gentle density and creating more equitable and resilient neighbourhoods, we support the development of thriving communities across the province.