2025 Gentle Density Leaders Summit: Full Schedule

The Gentle Density Leaders Summit is an essential gathering for forward-thinkers dedicated to unlocking the potential of gentle density housing in British Columbia and beyond. Don’t miss your opportunity to engage, connect, and collaborate with fellow visionaries who are reshaping the future of our communities by thinking BIG about building small.

Here’s what’s in store:

Dynamic Speakers: Hear from and chat with engaging, forward-thinking change leaders who will share insights and inspire fresh approaches to gentle density housing solutions. Check them all out below!
Breaking Down Silos: Connect meaningfully with planners, architects, builders, and key interest holders to foster a dynamic environment where ideas flow across sectors.
Actionable Insights & Engagement: Dive into collaborative breakout sessions with thought leaders in new home construction, positioning your organization at the forefront of housing innovation through hands-on problem-solving.
Direct Policy Engagement: Engage with policymakers and like-minded professionals to understand and influence the future of gentle density housing.
Honouring Champions: We will be presenting a person, team, or organization the Community Catalyst Award. Small Housing’s annual award that celebrates champions of gentle density. Know someone who you think is deserving? Find out more in the Awards tab.

We can’t wait to see you!
Session details, including speakers, topics, and times, are subject to change.

9:00am PST

Greetings from Small Housing Executive Lead, Dan Winer

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am PST

Arras Banquet & Events

Speakers

Dan Winer

Executive Lead, Small Housing BC

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00am - 9:20am PST
Arras Banquet & Events

Session

9:20am PST

BC Builds and the Power of Partnerships

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:20am - 10:20am PST

Arras Banquet & Events

Progress is being made to identify underused land across BC, provide low-cost financing, and speed up development times to deliver rental homes quickly. This is thanks to partnerships between BC Builds at BC Housing and local governments, First Nations, non-profits, and sector stakeholders. During a fireside chat Lisa will dive into the challenges, successes, and benefits of a new way of working together to accelerate housing development during BC Builds' first year in business.

Speakers

Lisa Helps

Executive Lead, BC Builds

Lisa is currently working as Executive Lead BC Builds Project Origination and Process Innovation, a new housing program that uses public land, low-cost financing, and other innovative tools to get more housing built more quickly for working people in B.C. Previously she was the Housing... Read More →

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:20am - 10:20am PST
Arras Banquet & Events

Session

10:40am PST

Innovations from the Housing Accelerator Fund

Tuesday February 25, 2025 10:40am - 11:30am PST

Arras Banquet & Events

In 2023, the Government of Canada launched a $4 billion Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) to incentivize local governments to implement structural and lasting reforms to increase housing supply. As an incentive program for municipalities and Indigenous governments, HAF aims to modernize planning practices, legalize housing, remove barriers, and streamline development approvals. The program not only aims to boost housing supply, but the right kind of housing supply – offering funding top ups for transit-oriented development, missing middle, multi-unit housing and non-market affordable housing. Gentle density is an integral part of the program. This session will explore the rich learnings that have taken place via HAF thus far, specifically on gentle density. Highlighting the local context, we will have some municipal representatives share their experience with HAF, how they were able to create change, and the resulting outcomes they have seen thus far.

Speakers

Cleo Corbett

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Cleo Corbett, MCIP, RPP - Having grown up in Co-op Housing and spent parts of her childhood in different parts of Africa, Cleo has a unique perspective on what 'home' means. Her educational background from Vancouver Island University and Simon Fraser University and her 20 years of... Read More →

Tuesday February 25, 2025 10:40am - 11:30am PST
Arras Banquet & Events

Session

1:15pm PST

Who Pays for Growth?

Tuesday February 25, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm PST

Arras Banquet & Events

As municipalities across BC work to encourage more housing, rising development charges and fees have become a significant barrier to new construction. While these fees are intended to fund the infrastructure required for a growing population, some argue they place an unfair burden on future residents to cover amenities that benefit everyone. So, how do we support the expansion of our cities in a way that is fair and equitable? Who pays for growth?
Join us for the debut screening of About Here’s latest video, followed by a Q&A with Uytae Lee.

Speakers

Uytae Lee

About Here

Uytae Lee produces videos that educate and engage the public on urban planning issues. He is the founder of ‘About Here’, a creative studio dedicated to helping people understand their cities better. In addition to his video work, Uytae is an adjunct professor at the UBC School... Read More →

Tuesday February 25, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm PST
Arras Banquet & Events

Session

2:15pm PST

Streamlining Utilities for GDH

Tuesday February 25, 2025 2:15pm - 3:15pm PST

Arras Banquet & Events

Tuesday February 25, 2025 2:15pm - 3:15pm PST
Arras Banquet & Events

Session

2025 Gentle Density Leaders Summit

From CA$355.95