This four-part lecture series will explore (and question) the status quo by fostering a dialogue between millennials (those born between the early 1980s and the late ‘90s) and an array of housing experts, including urban historians, developers, real estate professionals, builders, policymakers, financing specialists, environmental experts, and socio-cultural activists.

This dialogue is intended to explore opportunities to broaden the repository of existing housing and homeownership options by identifying limitations and determining what interventions may be necessary and/or feasible given the systems under which the housing market operates in Canada.

Session 2 – Aspiration vs. Reality: Homeownership from a Planning and Design Perspective
Monday, February 13, 6:00 p.m.
To better understand how and why the Canadian marketplace functions as it does, this session explores potential disconnects between what it produces and the kinds of housing that aspiring homeowners might want. Focusing on design, the session will also compare and contrast what is available here in Canada with innovative and design-forward housing solutions elsewhere.

Session 3 – Ownership from an Affordability and Financing Perspective
Thursday, March 9, 6:00 p.m.
This session looks behind the scenes to understand the impact of tenure, title, and financing options on what can be built and/or owned, including the effect on tenure and affordability. It explores various ways in which ownership can be structured (land lease, rent-to-own, second mortgages, etc. and questions what might need to change to support additional and unexplored options in Canada.

Session 4 – Ownership, Housing, and Community Design: A Sustainability Perspective
Thursday, March 16, 6:00 p.m.
This session explores homeownership and community structure from a sustainability perspective, considering the inter-relationship between economic, environmental, and social factors. It offers a critical look into what might be termed a ‘happy city,’ including the interdependencies, opportunities, and challenges of a design that fosters stability and accommodates change.

The series is jointly sponsored by:

• Carleton University, Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism
• Algonquin College, Department of Interior Design
• The Urban Land Institute, Ottawa Chapter
• The Canadian Centre for Mindful Habitats

with generous support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council