How ‘gentle density’ measures up to the hype as cities tackle Canada’s housing crisis

Andrea Adams is getting new neighbours in her backyard. This month, the Torontonian will finish building a 1,400-square-foot house at the end of her long, skinny lot. “It’s nice to have a big backyard, but it’s a little hard to justify when the pressure on housing is so great,” said Ms. Adams, who is executive director at the social housing organization St. Clare’s.Instead, she will share the garden with Evan Van Dyk, Stasia Rossinsky and their five-year-old son as they settle into the new house. Mr. Van Dyk’s family has a contract to rent the house until 2037, when their son will likely graduate high school. The unorthodox arrangement, Mr. Van Dyk said, allows them to live on the edge of downtown, near the lively Dufferin Grove Park and a subway station.