The Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM) estimates that there is a shortage of 60,000 housing units in the greater Montreal area and that housing prices are rising much faster than household incomes. If we must “build more and faster, we must also make sure to build well”, however, specifies the organization, which advocates “intelligent densification”.
The duty has obtained an embargoed copy of a report that the CCMM will publish on Monday morning, on the sidelines of its Housing Forum, which will take place the same day. The document reiterates the organization’s “smart densification” recommendations already made in previous publications, but it also highlights new data on the housing market.
Thus we learn that between 2002 and 2012, the average price of rental housing increased by 26.7%, while, during the following decade, it increased by 44%. The CCMM also notes that, according to recent data from Desjardins and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the increase in the average rent will be 10% in 2023, and could reach 30% within three years.
Owners are also under increasing pressure. While the sale price of homes has increased by 90% since 2011, household incomes have only increased by 40%. “Many households have no choice but to remain tenants, which puts increased pressure on the housing stock,” the report states.
Required regulations
“If we want to respond to the housing crisis, we have to do it in an orderly fashion,” argues Michel Leblanc, president and CEO of the CCMM, in an interview. This is why he proposes that “at least 80%” of housing should be built in TOD areas (Transit-oriented development), therefore around public transport hubs.
“In addition to the good location, the intelligent densification of the territory is characterized by careful development, which promotes attractive, safe living environments that can offer, within a 15-minute walk or bike ride, access to the main services and necessary businesses. to daily life,” underlines the report, which recommends densification reaching 15,000 inhabitants per square kilometer.
The document also notes that the densification must be done with a view to “urban and social diversity”, with “neat architectural treatment”, well integrated into public spaces. If these recommendations seem to be “common sense”, launches Mr. Leblanc, they are not sufficiently taken into account by the political class, according to him.
“Cities could, for example, encourage the creation of living spaces, such as shops or cafes, on the ground floor of new developments, with the help of stricter regulations,” he says. Mr. Leblanc also suggests that the municipalities review their public consultation processes in order to improve their effectiveness. “Intelligent densification can be done well, while respecting the quality of life of citizens,” he concludes.