Sidewalk Labs’ dream was to build a next-generation, high-tech neighbourhood in Toronto as a showcase for what cities of the future could look like. It was one of the highest-profile and most anticipated projects of its kind, anywhere in the world. Their successes, failures, and decision to walk away has lessons for communities across Canada.
COVID-19 has highlighted that our health outcomes are linked to socioeconomic factors – and those in turn are affected by where and how we live. Now is the time for social purpose real estate to help lead our recovery efforts towards more equitable, regenerative, and healthier communities for all. This series on social impact real estate is crafted in partnership with Windmill Developments and Urban Equation.
The way we build and operate our buildings now and into the future will be nothing like the past. But advances in technology alone are not enough – behaviours, culture, regulations, and policies also need to change.
Impact investing in Canada has grown by a massive 81 percent in the last decade. At the same time, communities across the country are facing an affordability crisis. There is a tremendous opportunity to tackle this by applying the principles and practices of impact investing to real estate.
Increasingly, real estate developers understand the importance of social impact in their work. But how can they expand their impact in a meaningful way, especially when moving beyond environmental sustainability to broader community benefit? This series on social purpose real estate is sponsored by Windmill Development Group, a real estate company with a triple bottom line approach that aims for zero ecological footprint.
For decades, social impact organizations needing property were limited to commercial leases, or relied on their donor bases for funding. Increasingly, Canada is seeing the repurposing of old and affordable properties, and collaborations between real estate and social organizations. This series on social impact real estate is crafted in partnership with Windmill Developments and Urban Equation.
