Many Canadians aspire to own a house with a backyard: a place to host BBQs and family reunions or to put your feet up under a patio umbrella after a long day. The current state of housing, however, suggests that the option of a city backyard is vanishing for many families.
Statistics Canada numbers show that the number of Canadians with their own private piece of green space is steadily shrinking, especially in the country’s urban centres.
Rising housing prices have made city homes with backyards too expensive for many families. Developers are building more backyard-less condos, towers and mid-rises than single family dwellings. To create walkable cities and reduce the need for cars, urban planners are densifying cities within their boundaries. In urban neighbourhoods, cities are changing zoning rules to encourage homeowners to build garden suites for renting, giving up their own precious backyard space.
Some argue that single family homes with an urban backyard are a luxury that a country in a housing crisis can no longer afford – especially in our most expensive markets.
To create homes in cities for all the people who need them, backyards are slowly becoming a thing of the past.
We would like to hear how backyards factor into happiness for Canadians – from those who have them and those who don’t. To share your thoughts, answer below or email EAnderssen@globeandmail.com.
How important is a backyard to your happiness?
If you have a backyard, how much time do you spend in it? What is special about it? If you live in a city and don’t have a backyard, what are the outdoor spaces that bring you joy? How much does owning a backyard factor into your housing goals – and why? If density means private backyards become more elusive for a growing number of families, what do cities and communities need to do to replace them?