Project Overview
CitySpaces collaborated with City of Kelowna to develop a more comprehensive approach to estimating housing need by income group, household size, and housing type or tenure. Building upon the Kelowna HART pilot study conducted by the UBC Housing Research Collaborative, the City aimed to expand the concept of unmet housing need, going beyond the conventional understanding of core housing need, incorporating aspects such as suppressed household formation, homelessness, and the housing supply required to create equilibrium in both ownership and rental markets, all within the framework of a tailored household projection. The analysis enabled the City to gain a more detailed and nuanced understanding of both current and future housing needs, moving beyond just a single unit count.
Key Highlights
In addition to developing a new approach to assessing housing need, CitySpaces also facilitated an inclusive and targeted community consultation process in support of the City’s Housing Needs Report, which included engaging with people with lived and living experience of housing insecurity.
Subsequently, CitySpaces assisted the City in preparing a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)Housing Accelerator Fund application by conducting spatial and data analyses to assess the historical trends in housing permits, thereby establishing a baseline for housing development and activity. In addition to establishing a baseline, CitySpaces worked collaboratively with City staff to estimate the impact of chosen initiatives and calculated the net change in permit issuance using the formulas required by CMHC; this work was urgent, innovative, unique, and complex and provided the City with value-add analysis and understanding of housing trends in Kelowna.
Areas of Expertise
Housing + Homelessness Strategy
Facilitation + Engagement
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