Toronto Housing: Considered and Reconsidered an Understanding of the Missing Middle as a Potential Response to the Affordability Crisis in the Toronto Housing Market

This thesis explores the architecture behind issues in the housing market of Toronto, Canada. Issues such as the lack of housing supply and the limited types supplied in terms of housing type and ownership structure are evident in propelling housing affordability and accessibility issues. Toronto's zoning by-laws favour single-family houses and then high-rise buildings, leaving a large gradient of housing types and alternatives unavailable. This is the Missing Middle. Addressing the Missing Middle can assist in responding to issues seen in the Toronto housing market and other markets across North America. The research focuses on three main forces shaping residential development in Toronto since 1793: 1) Government, 2) Finance, 3) Market, and other influencing factors. The design project proposes an architectural response to a neighbourhood in Toronto's Yellowbelt that could benefit from densification in an attempt to provide a palatable design option the market will accept.