UBC Balanced Supply of Housing Research Excellence Cluster
The HRC team was successful in obtaining a grant for the Balanced Supply of Housing Research Excellence Cluster for the 2019 UBC Grants for Catalyzing Research Clusters competition. We were one of the 26 clusters selected out of 69 total applicants. UBC defines the Research Excellence Clusters as “interdisciplinary networks of researchers focused on solving key challenges facing society that transcend the traditional boundaries associated with departments, institutions, and funding agencies”. Our Cluster currently has researchers from some of the leading universities in Canada in housing research and we are working on expanding our network of new scholars and organizations. We have secured $114,800 from UBC to support indirect costs of research-related activities of the Balanced Supply of Housing Node of the CMHC-SSHRC Collaborative Housing Research Network, particularly pertaining to knowledge mobilization. Cluster funds are earmarked to support our work on the following initiatives: a series of theme development meetings to build support for a proposal to the CMHC Housing Supply Challenge in 2021; exploratory analysis using the Canadian Housing Statistics Program’s microdata pilot program; the development of a relational database for BC Assessment data to allow UBC housing researchers to submit SQL queries; and a study of the commuting burdens faced by full-time workers in Metro Vancouver who live in rental housing.
Land for Community Benefit in Post Pandemic British Columbia
On June 18th, with the Social Purpose Real Estate Collaborative, and support from Vancity Community Foundation, we co-hosted an online dialogue focused on the nedd to secure land for community benefit at a time when our society is dealing with unprecendented threats to its economic and social sustainability. The forum had the participation of 60+ social purpose real estate sector and the discussions were fostered by instigator speakers Marcel Swain, Erin Millar, Stephanie Allen, and Jim Stanford. Read the event notes HERE.
Balanced Supply of Housing: CMHC-SSHRC National Collaborative Housing Research Network
We are delighted to announce that the HRC is the lead organization in an approved joint CMHC–SSHRC Partnership Development Grant to establish a node on the theme of Balanced Supply of Housing in the National Collaborative Housing Research Network. Work begins now to develop our proposal for the Stage 2 Partnership Grant. Successful Stage 2 applicants will receive $1,375,000 in funding over five years.
North Shore Balanced Housing Lab
The Balanced Housing Lab is an innovative partnership between the City of North Vancouver, District of West Vancouver, Squamish Nation, senior levels of government, and other stakeholders. The HRC is part of the Steering Committee and Project Working Group that is going to support this initiative, as they face the challenge of co-creating diverse housing solutions that make it possible for middle-income earners at different stages of life to live and work in the City of North Vancouver, Squamish Nation, and the District of West Vancouver. Moving forward, the Balanced Housing Lab will focus around three main areas: Reimagining the Housing Approval Process, Mobilizing Resources & Capacity through Indigenous & Non-Indigenous Partnerships, and Flexible Delivery Model for Affordable Living.
Data Working Group
A major focus of the Housing Research Collaborative will be data generation, analysis, and aggregation. Recognizing that housing research, particularly in the home province of British Columbia, has been hampered by gaps in the collection of data, as well as lack of accessible data, a Data Working Group has been formed to articulate critical research questions and to outline data needed to answer these questions. The Group is now developing guiding principles for collection and accessibility of data. It is anticipated that this assessment of housing data infrastructure and research will provide the foundation for a reconsideration of the housing system, including its constituent elements and associated definitions.