Can cities plan transit, housing policy together in Canada?

For decades, housing policy and transportation policy in Canada have been planned separately — a factor leading to a housing crisis and declining transit ridership, a new report suggests.

On Monday, the Canadian Urban Transit Association released a study on how Canada can best integrate these two policy areas. Housing and transportation, the report said, are the two biggest expenditures for Canadians. While the housing crisis affects everyone, it particularly deals a blow to low-income families who rely on public transportation to make their long commutes.

Their report makes five major recommendations to all three levels of government – federal, provincial and municipal. The first is “activating land for transit-oriented development” (TOD).

The report also encourages building housing on and around transit stations and properties. D’Angelo said this could be done by expanding the mandate of transit authorities. The report also called for inclusivity and proposed the incentivization of rental and affordable housing units.

CUTA also called for streamlining approval processes and cutting red tape.