This is (not) a laneway. Envisioning Toronto's future mid-block communities

The City of Toronto's laneway network is an untapped resource whose potential for residential development can support unique architectural opportunities and promote much needed sustainable and livable urban communities. Residential laneway development, as a form of infill, has the potential to increase the City's density without threatening the existing City fabric while providing a highly demanded housing typology. This thesis is structured around three intentions. It attempts to prove that laneway housing development is an opportunity for alleviating Toronto's housing requirements; imagines what this housing typology would look like in the context of Toronto's urban form; and explores the evolution of the laneway housing form in the entire laneway context. Arguing that when designed from this perspective, the laneway housing form has the potential to foster the growth of strong and desirable mid-block communities.