/ en /news/undergraduate-students-compete-u-t-weekend-tackle-affordable-housing-challenges <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Undergraduate students compete at ��������οthis weekend to tackle affordable housing challenges</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-03-10-regent-park.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=OUe9PfKT 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2017-03-10-regent-park.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=wvHR8TAP 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2017-03-10-regent-park.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ESVxWd4C 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-03-10-regent-park.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=OUe9PfKT" alt> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-03-10T15:24:26-05:00" title="Friday, March 10, 2017 - 15:24" class="datetime">Fri, 03/10/2017 - 15:24</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Regent Park, Canada's oldest and largest social housing development, is being revitalized with a mixture of condominiums, market-rate rental apartments and public housing (photo by the City of Toronto via Flickr) </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/kim-luke" hreflang="en">Kim Luke</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Kim Luke</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/urban" hreflang="en">urban</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cities" hreflang="en">Cities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/geography" hreflang="en">Geography</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/political-science" hreflang="en">Political Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/economics" hreflang="en">Economics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/ethis" hreflang="en">Ethis</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/society-and-law" hreflang="en">Society and Law</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/affordable-housing" hreflang="en">Affordable Housing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/laneways" hreflang="en">Laneways</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The students behind <a href="http://civicspark.ca/">CivicSpark</a> – a University of Toronto group devoted to fostering the next generation of city builders – will bring 13 undergraduate teams from universities across the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area (GTHA) together this weekend to offer solutions <a href="https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/building-up-the-6ix-an-undergraduate-public-policy-case-competition-tickets-31136552266">to the area’s affordable housing problem</a>.</p> <p>“With the cost of housing constantly increasing, there is a real concern that people, especially marginalized and vulnerable groups can be pushed out of their homes,” said CivicSpark’s co-founder&nbsp;<strong>Edwin White Chacon</strong>, a fifth-year Arts &amp; Science undergrad who is majoring in political science, and ethics, society and law.</p> <p>The competition comes at a time when the University of Toronto is exploring different housing approaches to help make the city more livable and sustainable. ��������οPresident <strong>Meric Gertler</strong>&nbsp;is working with the presidents of three other GTA universities&nbsp;to tackle affordable housing through a call for research proposals. ��������οis also looking into building laneway houses in the Huron-Sussex neighbourhood bordering the St. George campus.</p> <h3><a href="/news/u-t-teams-ocad-york-and-ryerson-seek-research-proposals-addressing-toronto%E2%80%99s-affordable-housing">Read more about the call for research proposals on affordable housing&nbsp;</a></h3> <h3><a href="/news/u-t-experts-creative-solution-toronto-s-housing-problems-laneway-homes">Read more about laneway housing initiatives</a></h3> <p>Student teams have each had one month to analyse a specific case and prepare a 20-minute presentation that includes innovative and tangible solutions. They will be judged by a panel of urban experts and city planners, as well as professionals from Toronto Community Housing Corporation and the Ontario Ministry of Housing.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__3754 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" src="/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/civicspark.jpg?itok=GHoOiY1g" style="width: 232px; height: 300px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image">The top two teams of the day will go head-to-head in solving a surprise case under the pressure of a very tight time frame.</p> <p>“The finalist teams will be given the same case, and 60 minutes to prepare their solutions&nbsp;and present them,” said Chacon. &nbsp;</p> <p>Last year’s competition, which focused on transportation and public space, saw the final teams competing on ways to revitalize the space under Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway.</p> <p>For student participants, the benefits include professional development, insight into the complexities of regional issues, as well as valuable connections with experts and professionals in urban planning. The winning team gets the opportunity to have an informational interview with decision-makers in the GTHA’s public, private and not-for-profit sectors.</p> <p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CivicSpark/">CivicSpark</a> was co-founded in 2015 as a chapter of CivicAction, a local city-building organization, by Chacon and undergraduate students <strong>Sara Urbina</strong>, who is majoring in economics and geography,&nbsp;and <strong>Joe Becker</strong>, who is studying political science and Canadian studies.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 10 Mar 2017 20:24:26 +0000 ullahnor 105688 at