Houses and Homes

In the first comprehensive book on the topic since the 1970s, former Toronto mayor John Sewell considers housing issues in Canada.

Writing in a style that is accessible and direct, Sewell considers public, private, and social housing. He looks at affordability and need, discusses definitions of good housing and good neighbourhoods, and examines the various approaches that governments have taken since World War II to increase the stock of reasonably priced housing. He shows why these approaches have consumed large amounts of public dollars yet have often failed. Indeed, homelessness is a larger problem in Canadian cities than ever before. In a time of shrinking public expenditures, he proposes the kinds of solutions necessary to ensure that all Canadians are well housed..

As chair of the Metro Toronto Housing Authority in the eighties and, more recently, as chair of the Commission on Planning and Development Reform in Ontario, Sewell has played a unique role in increasing public awareness of housing issues. His thought-provoking analysis will be of interest to all who believe that Canadians deserve affordable housing.