When it comes to housing construction, the best intentions of regulators aren't always enough to sway the market.
"Few developers are taking advantage of new Ontario rules that allow for taller wood-frame buildings," reports Luke Simcoe. "The reason? They can’t find the right wood."
A new development called Heartwood the Beach in Toronto will be the first project to take advantage of regulations implemented in January 2015 that "allow for six-storey wood buildings instead of the previous four storeys." The rules were intended to introduce new forms to the city's skyline and lower the cost of building mid-rise residential stock.
The specialty lumber required to build at these new heights, however, has made it difficult for developers to realize those cost savings.
FULL STORY: Wood construction still lagging in Toronto, despite rule change
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Paris Bike Boom Leads to Steep Drop in Air Pollution
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Why Housing Costs More to Build in California Than in Texas
Hard costs like labor and materials combined with ‘soft’ costs such as permitting make building in the San Francisco Bay Area almost three times as costly as in Texas cities.
San Diego County Sees a Rise in Urban Coyotes
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Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
City of Santa Clarita
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service