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“[L]ow-rise housing forms, sometimes referred to as the “missing middle,” can range from garden suites to small-scale apartment buildings on major streets. All these housing types can be found in Toronto today and historically have been located within our traditional neighbourhoods, but more recently in our City’s history they have been limited in where they are allowed to be built. [...] Permitting additional opportunities for missing middle and mid-rise housing helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the efficient use of land and resources. Infill within the built-up area enables low carbon transportation choices, such as walking, cycling, and public transit. Housing built in Toronto also reduces sprawl and transportation driven greenhouse gas emissions regionally. It also enables the use of existing infrastructure, which avoids carbon intensive infrastructure built elsewhere.”

“A “garden suite” is a detached, self-contained ancillary living accommodation permitted on properties in residential zones in Toronto. Garden suites are usually located in the rear yard of properties and are generally smaller than the main house on the lot. [...] [G]arden suites are intended to provide an additional form of low-rise housing and increase housing supply within Neighbourhoods, while maintaining the natural environment, urban forest tree canopy, and soft landscaped character in rear yards. [...] Permitting additional opportunities for missing middle housing helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the efficient use of land and resources. Infill within the built-up area enables low carbon transportation choices, such as walking, cycling, and public transit. Housing built in Toronto also reduces sprawl and transportation driven greenhouse gas emissions regionally.”

A necessary step to curbing urban emissions is the development of high-density housing. “Provincial policy, including the Provincial Planning Statement, supports intensification and building "compact and complete communities" as a strategy to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and plan more adaptive communities that are resilient to the impacts of climate change. [...] Density within built up areas supports low carbon transportation choices, such as walking, cycling, and public transit. Intensification in Toronto also reduces the need for sprawl to accommodate our housing needs in the region, helping to protect agricultural lands, water resources and natural areas.”

Amidst intensifying urban sprawl, the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) seeks to continue its plan to infill new residences in existing urban space. The goals of these plans are to address Toronto’s housing shortage while increasing space efficiency and thereby reducing emissions. New Torontonians “in low-rise neighbourhoods can help stabilize declining populations, optimize the use of existing infrastructure, and support local retail establishments and services.”
 

To reduce urban emissions, building high-density housing is critical. “Provincial policy, including the Provincial Planning Statement, supports intensification and building ‘compact and complete communities’” as a strategy to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and plan more adaptive communities that are resilient to the impacts of climate change. 
 

Densification is an important part of becoming more energy efficient and systemically reducing emissions from buildings in Toronto. Smaller homes require less energy for heating and cooling rooms. The recommended "As-of-right Zoning for Mid-rise Buildings on Avenues" is part of the Housing Action Plan to enable more housing along major streets and avenues. It includes updated "Rear Transition Performance Standards" and aims to allow "as-of-right heights and densities" for mid-rise buildings, potentially adding nearly 61,000 new dwelling units. These changes support the goal of meeting or exceeding the provincial housing target of 285,000 new homes over the next decade.

“Increasing built form permissions to permit a full set of building types along the major streets that form the edges of the neighbourhoods will contribute to spreading opportunities for intensification across the city, in a form that will be more gradual than has been developed in Toronto for many years. Density within built up areas supports low carbon transportation choices, such as walking, cycling, and public transit. Intensification in Toronto also reduces the need for sprawl to accommodate our housing need in the region, helping to protect agricultural lands, water resources and natural areas. Increasing density in built up areas maximizes the use of existing infrastructure, which avoids carbon-intensive infrastructure built elsewhere.”

“The Provincial Growth Plan supports intensification and building ‘compact and complete communities’ as a strategy to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and plan more adaptive communities that are resilient to the impacts of climate change. Removing regulatory barriers to creating additional low-rise housing, including those within the citywide Zoning By-law, is an important intensification strategy that promotes a more efficient use of land and resources.”

“Existing buildings are Toronto’s largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for approximately 58% of total community-wide emissions…Mandatory emissions performance standards for all existing buildings that will require improved emissions performance over time is the most critical of these actions to drive transformation.”

“The worsening housing crisis demands heightened action and investments from all orders of government.” Central to addressing this issue is maintaining the principle of “Sustainability and Predictability – creating sustainable, mixed-income buildings within complete communities; and mechanisms for more predictable funding.” Also crucial is “Climate Action – creating new energy efficient homes and improving the condition of existing homes.”

Through the Home Energy Loan Program (HELP), “the City offers low-interest loans to help homeowners make their homes more energy efficient and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in support of the City’s TransformTO climate action strategy and net-zero emissions target.

“The City offers low-interest loans to help homeowners make their homes more energy efficient and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in support of the City’s TransformTO climate action strategy and net-zero emissions target.”

Building on the city-wide work embodied in TransformTO, the City has developed a comprehensive Net Zero Existing Buildings Strategy that will chart a path to a decarbonized and net zero emissions building sector. The Strategy presents the background information and set of recommended building-scale actions and city-wide policies necessary for the City of Toronto to transform its existing building sector.