Funded by the Alberta Real Estate Foundation, we are working with municipal partners to create more housing choice and diversity in Alberta.
If you’re interested in more information about what we have accomplished so far in Phase 1 and 2, check out our Reporting and Findings section below!
The Sustainable Housing Initiative (SHI) is working to support diverse, sustainable, and equitable housing development in Albertan communities through its Enabling Housing Choice Project. This project was made possible through funding and support from the Alberta Real Estate Foundation.
The Enabling Housing Choice project will drive transformational, long-term policy change that will benefit Alberta’s real estate industry by addressing policy, bylaw and process barriers that realtors, housing developers, and municipalities often face when trying to improve housing choice.
It will also help address the lack of capacity in many municipalities while bringing together key stakeholders to work together to achieve common goals. This project directly discusses land development and the use of the land.
We acknowledge that this is embedded in a colonial worldview of land management, and are working to address reconciliation and respecting the Indigenous peoples that occupied this land for generations before land use frameworks were in place.
See how this project intends to address the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action and our commitment to positive change.
We also administered a province-wide survey. Our environmental scan results and preliminary findings have been compiled into five reports for ease of use. Head to the Preliminary Findings Executive Summary below to see a snapshot of the findings, or dive into the reports themselves, also below.
In Phase 1, we completed research that included an environmental scan including a literature review, and subject matter experts interviews with economic development experts; academics; Indigenous leaders and former Band council members; planners from municipalities, planning commissions, as well as private consultants; developers; accessibility and diversity experts; and former Politicians.
We have now entered Phase 2 of the project and have partnered with 6 municipalities to help create further housing choice and diversity in their communities. For the full list of our project partners, please see our Partners section below:
Recently, we completed a Land Use Study for the Town of Bow Island. Through surveys and in-person engagement, we gathered ideas and feedback from Bow Island residents on how a parcel of municipally-owned land could be developed to meet their housing needs in the community. To learn more about this Land Use Study, please check out our Phase 2 Reporting and Findings section below!
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We work with communities, big and small, to identify and connect appropriate parties and research to rural issues, resulting in community-based actions and solutions.
As the housing development arm of the RDN, we focus on creating a poverty free society in Canada, in which everyone has access to affordable & safe housing.
The RDN is a not-for-profit organization that was created in 2009 through a voluntary partnership of 21 post secondary institutions. The RDN's initiatives support community development through research and learning by leveraging the expertise of its post-secondary members. For more information on RDN, please click here.