Zoning for Densification
Categories: Cities, Living, The Environment
This has to be the next logical topic. So, why go from favouring single-family housing to zoning for densification? Next instalment – some suggestions for the how. And later, I will tackle land use and buildable area.
The Why
I have touched on the various reasons in my last post. Also, I wrote about the impact moderate densification would have on my street in Pointe-Claire. I have discussed the need to preserve agricultural land, preserve nature, and to reduce CO2 emissions caused by congestion and distance. Don’t buy into man-made climate change? I have given up trying to convince non-believers of this reality.
Arguments hardly affect the faithful—their beliefs have an entirely different foundation.
However I don’t know anyone that denies exhaust-driven smog, poor air quality, and the resulting health issues.

Smog
Dollars & Cents
- Infrastructure needed to support new housing costs is expensive. Longer streets, underground services, and cabled networks cost more than shorter streets, underground services, and cabled networks.
- Single-family homes require site specific infrastructure costs of about $40,000 versus $5,000 for a housing unit in a small apartment building. (Site specific – from street to building)
- Extended civic infrastructure networks mean more potential for breakdown and higher maintenance costs.
- Better tax revenues per square foot of land.
Density Advantages
- Creates favourable conditions for the development of public transportation and neighbourhood amenities – shopping, dining, entertainment, recreation. city parks
- More opportunity for better architecture – is there any uglier a neighbourhood than one made up of single-family, garage-forward homes built on zero property lines
- Walkable neighbourhoods reduce the need for automobile ownership – so less smog and dirty air
- More efficent energy consumption
- All of which contribute to better property values
- More valuable real estate means more tax revenues
Density takes different forms
I am not against single family homes – I live in one. I don’t advocate for condo / apartment towers on every street corner. However, I do advocate for the elimination of exclusive single-family zoning. Density can be gentle – think:
- Town homes, duplexes, triplexes, and small apartment buildings
- Much larger buildings in old industrial areas
- High-rise buildings on shopping centre parking lots close to public transportation.
- City centre residential towers aligned with the height of neighbouring office buildings
- Residential on top of retail along commercial arteries such as Montreal’s rue Ste-Catherine.
- You love Parisian neighbourhoods? Average population per square kilometre – 52,218; Toronto – 4,428

Density in Glasgow’s Govanhill neighbourhood across the street from The Queen’s Park.
The How
Next up – some suggestions on how to go from the single-family housing fetish to zoning for densification.