Making Room: Citizen's Developer Guide
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.
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 Bio
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.
This kind of walk-up, multi-family housing lines the streets of Paris, London, and Barcelona. Liam argues there is no reason Toronto can’t do the same. Through years of hands-on work, he has focused on becoming a leading expert in missing middle development in Toronto. The Citizen’s Developer Guide brings together that experience to help citizen investors and landowners understand how they can contribute by developing 5-10-unit buildings.
Event Schedule
7:30 pm – Doors open & welcome
7:40 pm – Presentation: The Citizen’s Developer Guide
8:00 pm – Moderated conversation & audience Q&A
8:30 pm – 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