With a housing deficit in the millions of homes, Canadian cities need to access a range of tools to accelerate housing options. Older neighbourhoods represent both opportunities and challenges to allow new homes to be built: opportunities because typically a mature neighbourhood has an identity, assets, and infrastructure to rely on. Challenges because new structures need to fit, especially if the mature neighbourhood has historic significance. Accelerating housing in these kind of neighbourhood relies mainly on acceptance to address their cultural, social, environmental, and economic specificity.

Catalogues of houses have been around for many decades and in fact many historic neighbourhoods are the result of building by catalogue. The project aims to create a modern catalogue of residential building options tailored to the character of neighbourhoods. The updated catalogue evolves from those used in historic neighbourhoods, is developed with the support of stakeholders and approved by municipal governments. The expected outcome is less time spent on consultation, accelerated permitting process, stronger cost controls, and ability to adjust to market conditions.