Vertical Legacy: The case for revitalizing the GTA’s aging rental tower communities

As a follow up to Vertical Poverty, United Way has released Vertical Legacy, in collaboration with the Tower Renewal Partnership and University of Toronto, outlining the actions needed now to ensure our legacy towers remain not only standing and affordable, but are also modernized to meet the health, community resilience and climate challenges of our collective future.

Legacy towers are home to hundreds of thousands throughout the GTA, and represent the bulk of our purpose-built rental housing. They were created with the help of public support to provide good quality affordable homes to those of all incomes and have helped Canada welcome the world. But these aging buildings are at risk. The retrofit of this housing is happening now with landmark pilot projects coast to coast. As part of our broader Covid recovery, it is now time for deep investment through community, government and private partnerships to pick up speed and engage in renewal at scale.

Building on progress made over the past decade, this report offers recommendations for all sectors: to help low-income rental tower residents make rent and access eviction protection, to encourage tower owners to maintain good repair and affordability, and to strengthen social infrastructure, services and opportunities for the people and neighbourhoods that call these towers home.

Download the Full Report (pdf) | Download the Executive Summary (pdf)