Architectures of care: design responses to support unhoused neighbours in Toronto, Ontario

Abstract

Houselessness is an increasingly critical issue across Canada, affecting over 235,000 people annually. While the COVID-19 pandemic certainly exacerbated the crisis, the underlying shortcomings of the social safety net have resulted in many community members falling through the cracks. A stark example is the city of Toronto, where over 7,000 people go unhoused nightly, with more than 700 of them forced to sleep on the street. The current sociopolitical system criminalizes poverty and treats unhoused neighbours with hostility, often culminating in violent evictions from public spaces. This thesis argues for a paradigm shift towards a culture of care that centres a Housing First approach to transitional housing and social reintegration. Focusing on the Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood, this proposal for a mixed-use supportive housing development offers phased housing supports and social services as a test case for a design framework of care ethics that could be applied to other urban sites.