Together Design Lab
addressing housing to improve community well-being
Turning Laneways into Public Places - Toolkit
Turning Laneways into Public Places - Toolkit, created in partnership with The Laneway Project, provides a resource and inspiration for individuals or groups starting on their laneway transformation.
The guide is designed to show the possibilities for laneway improvements that can help meet a range of goals for improving the public realm. The options for laneway improvements given are not exhaustive and the tools provided for creating change are not rigid; adapt what you find and create what works best to improve the public realm of your laneway – making it a high-quality public realm that is accessible, beautiful and enjoyable to use.
Download a copy of Turning Laneways into Public Places - Toolkit.
The Nishnawbe Aski Nation response to the First Nations National Housing and Infrastructure Strategy makes recommendations for changes to governance structures, planning processes, funding mechanisms, community participation and community infrastructure development. The First Nations National Housing and Infrastructure Strategy must move beyond creating minimally acceptable housing and community infrastructure. Housing as a universal human right must support individual and community well-being, allowing First Nations, with government partnership, to develop institutions which deliver appropriate, safe and healthy homes to all community members on- and off-reserve.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation response to the First Nations National Housing and Infrastructure Strategy
Together Design Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University's School of Urban and Regional Planning creates opportunities for collaboration between students, academics, professionals and communities. Close to home in Toronto and across northern Ontario we holistically address housing issues, with a design focus, recognizing that solutions already exist within communities.
walking together
partnership as the foundation to unlocking the emancipatory potential of planning
The common thread between Together Design Lab projects- including evaluation, design, policy creation, long-term planning, and community planning- is the commitment to a collaborative process. Using a listen - learn - share model, our methodology creates spaces within planning and design conversations for everyone. Partnership with communities means extending beyond a contributor and beneficiary model towards lasting mutually supporting relationship.
Our projects reach across disciplinary and professional boundaries. Housing is multi-dimensional and housing systems are made up of a variety of academic, public, private and non-profit stakeholders. We amplify the voices of our community partners, and their visions for the future to all those engaged in the housing process.
learning together
Moving beyond the walls we focus on housing's relationship to community wellness.