Making Room: Citizen Developer's Guide
*** RESCHEDULING: Due to poor weather forecast for Wed, Feb 18 we are rescheduling for Feb 22nd at 2pm at the same location @ it's Ok* studios
About the Event
Toronto’s housing crisis can't be solved by one big project. but it can solved by thousands of small ones, led by everyday Torontonians.
Making Room: Citizen’s Developer Guide is the launch event for a new, practical guide that shows how everyday Torontonians can help create more homes across the city. We’ll break down how single-family houses can become 5–10 unit walk-ups, and what’s actually possible on a typical Toronto lot.
This kind of walk-up, multi-family housing lines the streets of Paris, London, and Barcelona and there is no reason Toronto can’t do the same. The Citizen’s Developer Guide is meant to help citizen investors and landowners understand how they can contribute by developing 5-10-unit buildings.
In 2022, Ontario’s Housing Affordability Task Force estimated Toronto will need 1.5 million new homes over the next decade. With 53.6% of Ontario’s housing stock made up of single-detached homes, converting even 10% into 5+ unit buildings could significantly improve affordability.
This event is part of the Making Room speaker series by More Neighbors Toronto. A series of conversations about the housing crisis and how we can solve it by making room for more people to call Toronto home.
Speaker Bios
Liam Gill is a born-and-raised Torontonian and former startup founder, lawyer, and advisor. He lives in Spadina-Fort York and supports innovative Canadian technology startups as they raise the capital needed to grow and scale.
In his spare time, Liam invests his own time and money to help redevelop single-family homes into 5-10-unit multi-residential buildings. He believes the housing crisis will not be solved by skyscrapers alone, but by citizens and small developers converting single-family homes into multi-residential buildings.
Sean Galbraith has been a planner for more than 25 years, 15 of which are at the head of his own consultancy with a focus on small project planning in Toronto. He has specialized in multiplexes and backyard units since before they were widely permitted in Toronto, and it continues to be a focus of his practice.
Event Schedule
2:00 pm – Doors open & welcome
2:30 pm – Presentation: The Citizen’s Developer Guide
2:50 pm – Moderated conversation & audience Q&A
3:30pm – Informal networking
What You’ll Learn
What “citizen development” can look like in Toronto
How 5–10 unit walk-ups work on typical residential lots
The biggest practical barriers (and how people get around them)
Where to start if you own property, are planning to buy, or want to partner
How the Citizen’s Developer Guide can support your next steps
Who Should Attend
Homeowners curious about redevelopment
Aspiring small developers and builders
Housing advocates, planners, and urbanists
Anyone who wants practical, people-powered solutions to Toronto’s housing crisis