We can’t do a series on cities without going here. Ultimately, much of it comes down to this. Housing.
The challenges of rising costs, restrictive zoning laws and the need for more inclusive urban planning are pressing issues that demand bold leadership and innovative solutions in Toronto. In this episode we grabbed Chris Spoke, partner at Toronto Standard, to discuss his vision for the future of Toronto's housing market and the big shifts needed to unlock the city's potential.
A Fresh Perspective on Real Estate
Chris’s journey into real estate was unconventional. Coming from a background in software, where agility and innovation are the norms, Chris found the transition to real estate development—a heavily regulated and permission-driven industry—to be a stark contrast. His interest in housing was initially sparked by Toronto’s escalating prices and the complex web of land use planning that seemed to perpetuate the problem.
“I got into this around 2017, 2018, trying to understand what contributed to rising housing prices. That sent me down the path of urban land use planning,” Chris explains. His desire to do more than just talk about the issue led him to real estate development, where he now works to bring about the changes he believes Toronto desperately needs.
Toronto: A Potemkin City?
While Toronto’s skyline has transformed dramatically over the past few decades, Chris argues that this development is largely superficial. Outside the downtown core, Toronto remains a city frozen in time. “If you take a more bird's eye view of the city, you’ll notice that all of this development has been really concentrated downtown,” Chris points out. “Over half of Toronto's land area has actually seen a decline in density and population over the last 50 years.”
Chris describes Toronto as a “Potemkin city,” where the dense urban core of new towers is surrounded by sprawling neighbourhoods that have remained unchanged for decades, due in large part to restrictive zoning laws. “We have this bifurcated market where in small nodes you're allowed to build tall, and everywhere else you're allowed to build almost nothing,” he says. This zoning has stifled the natural growth and evolution of the city, preventing it from fully realising its potential.
The Need for Simplification and Bold Leadership
Chris believes that one of the key steps to addressing Toronto’s housing crisis is to simplify the city’s regulatory framework. "I think I would take these two documents, the official plan and the zoning bylaw. I would probably combine them. There's no need to have two documents saying often many of the same things. And I would make it much more permissive to build the sort of housing that you see, you know, let's say throughout Brooklyn..." Chris suggests.
Chris acknowledges that Toronto has made some progress in recent years with regard to housing policy. One notable example is the passing of the multiplex bylaw in 2023, which allows for the construction of up to four units on any residential lot across the city. “This is pretty unprecedented because it goes against the long-standing directive to maintain the existing physical character of neighbourhoods,” Chris explains.
While he sees this as a positive step, he also points out that the policy is still overly prescriptive, with numerous additional requirements—such as setbacks and maximum building depths—that often render developments infeasible. “The direction is generally good, but it's still over-prescribed,” he says. For Chris, these changes are a sign that the city is starting to move in the right direction, but much more needs to be done to truly address the housing crisis.
He advocates for going back to first principles, stripping away the unnecessary complexity that has been added over the years. “You need to change a hundred different things to see real impact. There are no silver bullets here,” he warns. This holistic approach to reforming housing policy would require bold, decisive action from city leaders—something that Chris believes is crucial for making lasting change.
“Politicians often prioritise short-term wins over long-term gains,” Chris observes. “To truly serve the public, a mayor or premier needs to be bold early in their term, or be comfortable with being a true public servant—doing the right thing, even if it means they may not be re-elected.”
Learning from Global Examples
Chris draws on comparisons with other cities, particularly in how regulatory differences can dramatically impact urban development. In Europe, for instance, elevator construction is significantly cheaper and more practical than in North America, due to different manufacturing standards and less stringent accessibility requirements. “In North America, you need to be able to fit a full gurney in an elevator,” Chris explains. “In Europe, as long as you can accommodate a wheelchair, that’s sufficient. This difference means we end up with fewer elevators and more walk-up apartments, which is bad for accessibility and family-friendly housing.”
Similarly, Chris points out the challenges posed by Toronto’s building code, particularly the requirement for a second staircase in buildings over two stories. This regulation, which dates back to the 1940s, often makes it economically unfeasible to develop small-footprint infill projects—precisely the kind of development Toronto needs more of. “These regulations might sound minor, but they have a massive impact on what gets built and what doesn’t,” he says.
Chris contrasts Toronto’s situation with that of New York, which saw much of its growth before heavy zoning restrictions were imposed. “In New York, you don’t have things like side yard setbacks because the land is too valuable to waste. Toronto, on the other hand, has layered physical and regulatory constraints that often kill the viability of projects.”
A Vision for Toronto’s Future
Despite the obstacles, Chris is optimistic about Toronto’s potential. He envisions a city that is not only vibrant and dense but also inclusive and accessible to people at all stages of life. Achieving this, he believes, will require a significant shift in how Toronto approaches urban planning and development.
“Toronto is like a seven-foot basketball player who can't dunk,” Chris quips. “It's got all the potential in the world and just needs to learn how to dunk.” This means embracing bold reforms, simplifying regulations, and ensuring that the city’s growth benefits all its residents—not just those in certain neighbourhoods.
Chris’s vision for Toronto is one of a city that is constantly evolving, where policies are designed to facilitate growth rather than hinder it, and where leadership is defined by courage and a commitment to the greater good.
This feels like a good place to wrap our tranche of conversations for now on a somewhat positive note, the ingredients are there, we all see the change that is needed, it’s not a place for political muck slinging, and more a chance to shoot the shot, or show that we’re figuring out how to dunk when the opportunity arises.
To a future where Toronto will challenge.
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