Home Conversions

The Toronto population has previously been housed in single-family homes, multi-unit homes, low-rise apartments, high-rise apartments, condominiums, lofts and above commercial units. Several of these are no longer feasible mainly because of their lack of access to water, toilet and food gardening. The following is a list of useable housing, adaptations needed, and semi- or un-useable housing.

4:a:i) USEABLE HOUSING WITH ADAPTATIONS

SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES
- Convert to support multiple families living in each home
- Install wood-burning stoves (see Chapter 3)
- Build outhouse(s) (see Chapter 5)
- Convert all useable soil to food garden (see Chapter 1)
- Install rainwater collection systems (see Chapter 2)

MULTI-UNIT HOMES
- Install wood-burning stoves
- Build outhouse(s)
- Convert all useable soil to food garden
- Install rainwater collection systems

LOW-RISE APARTMENTS (3 storey buildings)
- Install wood-burning stoves
- Build multiple outhouses
- Convert all useable soil to food garden
- Install rainwater collection systems
- Convert flat roof to container food garden

APARTMENTS ABOVE COMMERCIAL UNITS (3 storey buildings)
- Convert commercial units into multiple-family housing
- Install wood-burning stoves
- Build multiple outhouses
- Convert all useable soil to food garden
- Install rainwater collection systems
- Convert flat roof to container food garden

4:a:ii) SEMI-USEABLE HOUSING WITH ADAPTATIONS

CONDOMINIUMS, LOFTS & HIGH RISE APARTMENTS
- Close off all floors higher than 3rd floor
- Build multiple outhouses
- Convert all useable soil to food garden

4:a:iii) UNUSEABLE HOUSING

CONDOMINIUMS, LOFTS & HIGH RISE APARTMENTS
- Buildings of 4 floors or higher
- Buildings with no access to green space for food garden
- Buildings with roofs too hard to access (for gardening and installing rainwater collection system)

Read the next section, Adapting Commercial Buildings...