Canada faces an unprecedented demand for housing. At the same time, renters are reporting a concerning decline in social well-being. According to a recent Statscan report, renters across the country are nearly twice as likely as homeowners to report feeling lonely. Renters are also 11 per cent less likely than homeowners to report high overall life satisfaction. 

As a rental developer living in Toronto, this worries me. In a city where it’s estimated that nearly half of its residents rent, having a strong sense of belonging shouldn’t be limited to homeowners. If it is, the loneliness epidemic in our cities will only get worse.

 If we want to reverse this silent crisis, we need to learn how to intentionally build community —everywhere. Be it in our homes, our neighbourhoods, or our places of work, people thrive when they feel part of something. That means not only designing vibrant, connected places to live, but also rethinking how we work.

In Toronto, nearly 30 per cent of households earn between $100,000 and $200,000, but many people can’t afford a down payment without family assistance. As they increasingly consider the downtown rental market as an alternative to buying a house—drawn to its vibrant, well-connected communities—they should have the option of leasing homes with spacious layouts, durable finishes and modern amenities designed for family living.

But more supply alone will not be enough for them to make that leap. Without the necessary social infrastructure, cities will increasingly become harder places to live. We need to think differently about how we deliver essential services like health care, education, and recreation for today’s urban families. That means integrating childcare, health care, fitness, and social spaces into the communities we build. These aren’t perks: they’re essential for daily life.

Consider the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC). A subway stop 45 minutes away from Union Station, it’s a full ecosystem: homes, parks, health care, and retail. The VMC didn’t just make commuting to York University easier; it attracted top companies like PricewaterhouseCoopers to open offices, turning a major transit hub into a thriving, all-in-one community where someone can learn, get a job, live and raise a family.

At Fitzrovia, our two new developments—Elm-Ledbury at Queen and Church in the heart of Toronto’s downtown, and Sloane, located steps from Yorkdale Shopping Centre—offer a vision for connectivity and community for young professionals, families, and newcomers to Canada who need access to vital services as they put down roots here in Toronto. 

With over 70 per cent of Canadian parents reporting stress from juggling work, childcare, and commuting, we’ve tried to alleviate key pressure points by integrating the services parents need into our buildings. Parents can drop their kids off at Bloomsbury Academy, our in-house Montessori-style early learning centre, or pop into our Cleveland Clinic pod for a digital health consultation, both located right in the buildings.

By living in a vibrant urban community, families are saving hours a day with a walkable commute to the downtown core or easy access to public transit. Time they can now spend focused on their own health and well-being—whether it be working out at the gym, a game of pickup basketball, or hanging out at a rooftop infinity pool and terrace. 

A vibrant life isn’t just about how we live—it’s also about how we work. That’s why we also need to rethink how physical workplaces support social connection.

Some might think it’s outdated, but at Fitzrovia, we don’t have a work-from-home policy. We’re in the office five days a week, and I believe it’s a key ingredient to our success. Our construction crews and property managers obviously can’t work from home, and neither does our corporate team because being immersed in a business environment that can’t be replicated through screens is how many of us learned early in our own careers.

Yes, we provide awesome snacks and lunch, but that’s not why our team comes in. They are in the office because of the vibrant community we are building—mentorship at the water cooler, ideas sparked by impromptu conversations, and the sense of belonging from being together.  

In construction, trades rely on hands-on learning, in-person observation, and real-time feedback. For corporate roles, the principle should be the same. From what I’m hearing and seeing, there is a segment of young professionals who really want to be in the office.  A survey by talent firm Robert Half found in 2023 that almost a quarter of Gen Z workers want more people in the office over the next few years, as they “crave greater guidance, networking, and mentorship” compared to people of other generations. 

Related: Why Small Businesses Need Commercial Rent Control

Many Gen Z’s I meet and work with tell me first hand they’re eager to learn, connect, and contribute. They want to ask questions, observe how leaders solve problems, and experience work in real life, in order to feel like they belong.

Today our major urban centres lag on key quality-of-life metrics, and renters feel they have a lower quality of life than homeowners. By fostering innovative communities that seamlessly integrate living, learning, working and well-being while nurturing social connections that inspire pride and belonging, I am confident in a brighter future ahead.