Back in 2019, Canada's federal budget allocated $300 million toward something known as The Housing Supply Challenge. The overarching objective was, and still is, to reduce the barriers to housing supply and affordability, and the approach has been to find solutions through a series of "challenges". So far, they -- they being the CMHC Housing Supply Team -- have completed four rounds. And right now, they are on round five. This is the challenge:
Increase the adoption of system-level solutions that transform Canada's ability to produce more community and market housing.
This fifth round represents $65 million of the $300 million total budget. Meaning that $65 million will be awarded to groups and solutions that have the potential to accomplish the above. The funding will be distributed in three stages. First to 20 foundational solutions ($1 million per solution), then to 10 next-level solutions ($3 million per solution), and finally to 3 game-changing solutions ($5 million per solution).
If you have a solution (i.e. something that can be executed on), I would encourage you to check out their site. And if you'd like to apply, you have until December 18, 2023.
Sidewalk Toronto is currently looking for “12 smart, creative, and caring people who are interested in the future of Toronto’s waterfront and how we [Sidewalk Toronto] can responsibly incorporate technology to improve urban life.”
Each Fellow will complete a 2-day orientation session in Toronto; 6 days in Amsterdam and Copenhagen; 5 days in New York City and Boston; 3 days in Vancouver; and then do a final 2-day working session back in Toronto before presenting their takeaways.
This feels like a response to the criticism that Sidewalk Toronto wasn’t doing enough to listen to the community and that it simply wanted to build a tech-infused neighborhood that could serve us more ads – but it’s cool nonetheless.
If you’re between 19-24 years old and you live in Toronto, you can apply here. It sounds like a fun opportunity for young city builders. I know that I certainly would have been all over it when I was in that age bracket.
We all know that city building is a multi-disciplinary endeavour. That’s why I was incredibly interested to learn about a new “Artist-in-Residence” program that Los Angeles is launching:
The Honorable Mayor Eric Garcetti, is pleased to announce the first collaboration between two City of Los Angeles departments to place an artist in residence in a department to serve as a Creative Catalyst who will develop creative intervention strategies to achieve department specific goals. The Creative Catalyst Artist in Residence Program will serve as a model to stimulate creative thinking and innovative projects, while supporting Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Back to Basics priority outcomes: to make our city livable / sustainable, prosperous, safe, and well-run.
Cities are complex organisms. And some of you might be wondering how artists can help city build. But this is about bringing different minds together, thinking across disciplines and, hopefully, leveraging design thinking to solve urban problems. And LA is not the only city to try this approach.