Welcome to More Neighbours Calgary
More homes, more opportunities!
Howdy Neighbour!
We are a grassroots group of individuals who are watching the housing crises of Toronto and Vancouver arrive here at our doorstep and are fed up with the lack of bold, concrete action from city hall to address the issue.
Our ethos is simple. Calgary needs to build more homes, of all types, everywhere. Yes, this means market-rate housing. Yes, this means affordable housing. Yes, this means infills and row houses, and yes, this means apartment buildings.
Interested in helping out? Feel free to join our Discord if that’s your thing, or subscribe to this newsletter so we can keep you updated on what’s happening. You can also visit our website to learn how to get more involved or if you’d like to learn more about housing policy and poltics.
We have a unique opportunity as a city to learn from other jurisdictions and follow a different path. Housing is a complex and multi-dimensional issue, but without some very basic first steps we will never be able to address the crises properly. Here’s what we feel needs to happen:
Stop making it illegal to build additional context-supported housing in the majority of the city. This means eliminating the restrictive laws that force single-family zoning (RC-1) and replacing it with more flexible gentle density (RC-G).
Make the process for approving new development on existing land streamlined and administration-driven, instead of an inherently political process.
Rapidly increase the rate of development of affordable housing alongside market-rate housing.
Mark your calendar for September 14
On September 14, the City of Calgary Housing Strategy will be discussed and voted on at Council committee, and there is an opportunity for public input. We feel the recommendations contained within the strategy are an excellent first step towards building housing for all and avoidig following in other cities’ footsteps.
Stay tuned for more updates, but before we go, one more request: Share this post and newsletter with a fellow Calgarian who might be interested!