More homes on one lot better for affordability and environment: real estate body
With less than a week before the federal election, the B.C. Real Estate Association is calling on all parties to start looking at housing policy through a climate-change lens, and recommending gentle densification as a means of providing energy-efficient housing while improving affordability. In a statement, Darlene Hyde, the association’s chief executive, said it would be irresponsible to look at solutions to Canada’s housing supply crisis without looking at how any fix would affect climate. “In fact, by looking at the two together, we are more likely to explore creative solutions that will make the long-lasting change that is needed in both areas,” she said. Single-family dwellings generally consume more energy and emit more greenhouse gases per square foot of livable area than townhouses or apartments built under the same building code. Most single-family homes are also built in areas that are further from employment centres and not within easy walking distance of retail and service
