Case Study: HousingNow boosts building capacity and speeds site feasibility with UrbanSim

HousingNow speeds site feasibility in 6 days with UrbanSim

HousingNow, an initiative by the City of Toronto, faced the challenge of determining development feasibility for new housing within a strict six-day timeline. They needed to create as many affordable units as possible but lacked access to critical zoning, land constraint, and construction cost data. To meet this challenge, they turned to the vendor UrbanSim and its rapid site feasibility tool.

Using UrbanSim's solution, the HousingNow team quickly tested different development forms, including a crucial rezoning scenario. This allowed them to propose a 25-story building with 266 units for a site previously limited to three stories. The proposal passed approvals, is expected to reach first occupancy in 2025, and helped the city work towards its housing targets. UrbanSim enabled this outcome by shortening prospecting time and reducing costs.

HousingNow