Жители Торонто ищут нестандартные решения для жизни в районе Ривердейл из-за роста цен на жилье

On a recent summer night, dozens of neighbours gathered for an informal evening concert on a tree-lined laneway in Riverdale, a residential neighbourhood east of downtown Toronto. It’s an area that has long been a magnet for professionals and creative professionals—doctors, lawyers, filmmakers, broadcasters, architects. But as average prices for homes in the area top $1 million, many people—especially those who started their careers after housing costs began their long climb—have been finding inventive ways to live in Riverdale and its surrounding neighbourhoods. At that particular concert, I found myself in a conversation with three other local women, and realized that all of us have taken creative routes towards filling our housing needs. A decade ago, a work acquaintance, Julie, bought a house in Riverdale that has always been too big for her needs. She renovated and subdivided the house to rent out the upper half of the house, and, over time took over rooms to accommodate her growing family. They now live with a housemate who has private living quarters, but they share the corridors. The rent is partially bartered in exchange for childcare and housekeeping—a win-win all around. Julie has also been restoring a 1790s Loyalist homestead in Napanee, which is supported by rental income which subsidizes the upkeep of the property. She appreciates sharing the home with others so that they can appreciate the unique heritage elements that pre-date Canada; friends, family and renters enjoy the old-meets-new stylistic flourishes of Julie’s renovation of the property. The second woman in our conversation, Caroline, recently co-bought a house in the area with a stranger she met through Husmates, a matchmaking platform for co-ownership developed by Toronto realtors Leslie Gaynor and Parimal Gosai. The original homeowner had just gone through a separation and couldn’t afford to keep the entire home. By entering a co-ownership agreement, both parties ended up with a space suited to their needs. They are currently going through renovations to convert the house into a duplex; meanwhile, Caroline has moved in and they are sharing use of the kitchen. As part of exploring co-ownership, Caroline visited and attended presentations on different models of co-owned properties—from very large houses divided into family-sized units, to bungalows with second storey additions. In the detached Victorian she now co-owns, both units share a front door, and a pair of added interior doors provides additional privacy. Since Caroline often travels abroad for work, knowing that someone else is living in the home ensures a measure of security against unexpected house emergencies while she’s away. A former classmate has just moved into a house next to Riverdale that they purchased from friends. She and her partner had been contemplating moving to the neighbourhood for several years. The stars aligned when their friends—an architect-couple and their kids—decided to decamp overseas. By purchasing the house directly, they were able to avoid paying the realtor commission normally associated with the transaction. Perhaps more importantly, they had complete confidence in the quality of the renovations that had recently been completed in the home—there was none of the guess work often associated with purchasing an older house. For my part, rather than working from home, I’ve opted into a co-working arrangement. During workdays, I set up my laptop at a fold-out secretary desk in a large apartment just north of Riverdale, ten minutes from my home. My roommates—four millennials who live in the three bedrooms of the flat—have over time gone from being casual acquaintances to becoming good friends. The apartment includes large common areas, high ceilings, an in-unit sauna, an in-unit courtyard, and skylights in every room—making the space suitable for hosting gatherings that contribute to life in the flat. These living and working arrangements are grassroots approaches that not only confront the present affordability crisis. They also build community among like-minded people keen to be amidst the life of Toronto—and open to exploring unconventional ways of living and sharing space with others. As appeared in the  September 2026 issue of Canadian Architect magazine