How builders, city planners are trying to create more family-friendly
Toronto condos
CBC News (abridged)
Alexandra Sienkiewicz
26 May 2017
The Goodtimes hope they'll be able to live in their Queen West condo
forever, but even they admit squeezing their life into a
730-square-foot space is not without its problems.
the stuff
The biggest issue for the artist couple with two young children is "the
stuff," Lindsay Goodtimes told CBC Toronto.
"Everyone has more stuff, so you have to get the reins on all the
stuff," she said. The other challenge is finding enough living and
playing space.
"I think it's important to try and better utilize the space outdoors
for the community. It's about finding space and grass that you can use
for your backyard," said Goodtimes. Negotiating dog and children's play
spaces can also get difficult.
The Goodtimes
family constructed a small bedroom for their daughters, just wide
enough to fit a bed. (Paul Borkwood/CBC)
With the average price of a detached home in Toronto well above the
$1-million mark, the housing dreams of families like the Goodtimes
wanting to live in the city have undergone a radical shift in the last
10 years—posing a challenge that developers and city planners are
only just beginning to tackle.
Condo dwellers used to be a pretty equal mix of first-time buyers and
empty-nesters, but many people are now choosing to stay in condos, says
Mimi Ng, vice-president of sales and marketing at Menkes
Developments Inc.
"You're not considered a have-not if you live in a condo these days,"
said Ng, who says more and more residents are what she calls "move-out"
buyers — people who are moving from one condo to another.
Buildings that were originally designed to accommodate a more mature,
adult lifestyle are now being forced to change—as those young adults
are starting to have families.
Embracing
vertical living
Meantime, the Goodtimes family is embracing vertical and small-space
living.
making it work is all
about compromise
The family has constructed a small room in their one-bedroom condo for
their two daughters. And Lindsay Goodtimes says making it work is all
about compromise.
"If you're going to live in a condo, you have to have a little give and
take. Yes, kids are going to make noise; yes, people are going to throw
parties … if you have to live in such tight quarters, you have to give
a little," added Goodtimes.
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