New Initiative Aims To Streamline Approvals
TORONTO, Ontario, March 1, 2023
While the province has set a goal to build 1.5 million homes by 2031 to remedy the ongoing housing shortage, the specific details of how this will be accomplished remain unclear. Aled ab Iorwerth, Deputy Chief Economist at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), has expressed his concern that while the goal is an important one, there will be a lot of challenges with implementation. Since its inception, AECO Innovation Lab has been actively working to innovatively address the digital infrastructure gaps that exist in Ontario's housing industry, specifically with development approvals processes.
With the added pressure from Bill 23, “we need to find new ways of building homes better and faster” says RESCON president Richard Lyall. Current development processes are often overly complex and time-consuming, leading to delays and increased costs that ultimately result in higher housing prices, reduced supply, and fewer affordable housing units. Echoing Lyall’s sentiments, AECO CEO Arash Shahi added that, “1.5 million homes in 10 years will not be possible without significant innovation” which is why AECO has turned to research to help build a strong foundation of knowledge for new innovative processes to emerge.
Understanding the need for digital solutions to help address the housing crisis, AECO and buildingSMART Canada have partnered with leading researchers at five Canadian universities for a project titled AI-enabled Digital Twins for Automation of Regulatory Systems in the Built Environment. This 5-year $1.32M research program, funded in part by Mitacs, aims to explore how BIM and digital twins can be utilized by Canadian regulatory agencies to enhance decision-making in development approvals, asset and facility management, as well as municipal planning and operations. The use of digital solutions can be utilized in the construction industry to improve efficiency, productivity, and ultimately, address the lack of affordable housing. “The adoption of BIM and digitalizing processes can help address many of the challenges that the industry is facing including regulatory compliance, collaborative data exchange, and sustainability efforts,” says Claudia Cozzitorto, who is the Chief of Operations of AECO Innovation Lab and Executive Director of buildingSMART Canada.
This research undertaking is one of its kind, collaborating with municipal and regional governments, conservation authorities, and key industry stakeholders. One of the 10 projects, led by Professor David Amborski at Toronto Metropolitan University's School of Urban and Regional Planning, is Streamlining Development Approvals: A Review of Processes, Requirements, Metrics, and Opportunities. This project aims to achieve a better understanding of the development approval process and its impact on land use. The current approval process is intricate due to multiple authorities having the power to review and comment on applications, each with their own sub-processes and requirements. The research project will thoroughly investigate this process to identify key metrics for measuring efficiency. By providing transparency into the complicated processes, this will allow for more informed decision making by authorities, leading to adjustments that streamline procedures and requirements. This, in turn, will reduce the time required to issue approvals and ultimately lower construction costs.
The research project has a second objective to examine the interconnections between land use policy, development, real estate trends, and demographics to gain a comprehensive understanding of the factors that impact land use, supply, and availability. One particular aspect of the investigation focuses on the relationship between land use planning policies and their effect on land supply, availability, and value. With the data obtained from this research, there is a potential to expand the project by creating an AI-powered real estate visual analytics platform that can assist decision-making related to land, investment, and regulation by utilizing information on land supply, utilization, and valuation.
As the demand for affordable housing increases and the pressure to build 1.5 million homes by 2031 mounts, the need for innovation is greater than ever. With partners like RESCON and buildingSMART Canada, AECO has taken a proactive approach to address the digital infrastructure gaps that exist in Ontario's housing industry. The research program presents a ground-breaking effort in Canada to bring together industry and academia to investigate key issues plaguing the AEC industry and how BIM and digital twins may offer novel approaches. By providing transparency into complicated processes and developing innovative digital solutions, AECO is laying the foundation for a better, more affordable housing future.
For more information:
Kristen Tam
Marketing and Communications Manager
AECO Innovation Lab
kristen.tam@aecoinnovationlab.com
