The Problem
A City in Crisis
Vancouver's housing market is failing the people who need it most—and the way we build is making it worse.
Too few homes. Too much demolition every time land changes hands.
We can't build our way out by tearing everything down.
By the Numbers
The crisis isn't abstract—and neither is the fix. These are the realities driving relocatable, factory-built housing. Every figure links to its primary source.
3.5M
Homes Canada still needs
Additional units required by 2030 just to restore affordability
CMHC, Housing Shortages in Canada (2023)21,500+
Households on the waitlist
Waiting for affordable housing across Metro Vancouver
Metro Vancouver Housing Data Book, 2025$1,970
Average monthly rent
Metro Vancouver purpose-built average, up 2.0% year over year—new leases cost far more
CMHC Rental Market Survey, October 202530,000
Homes demolished since 2012
Torn down across Metro Vancouver in just over a decade—roughly 2,500 a year
Light House / Unbuilders demolition report, 202557%
Of residential land
Zoned single-family—much of it housing just one or two people per lot
City of Vancouver, Housing Characteristics Fact Sheet50% faster
Factory-built homes
Modern off-site construction delivers homes up to twice as fast as site-built
RBC, A New Blueprint: Modern Methods of Construction (2025)40% cheaper
Cost to build
Off-site methods can cut delivery costs versus traditional construction
RBC, A New Blueprint: Modern Methods of Construction (2025)7.5%
Of Canada's build market
Share currently using modern off-site methods—the headroom is enormous
RBC, A New Blueprint: Modern Methods of Construction (2025)The Challenge
Four Forces Colliding
Vancouver's housing challenge isn't just about supply — it's about how land transitions and what we lose in the process.
Four forces converge on every Vancouver lot at once.
Densification Is Coming
Vancouver's long-term plan transforms single-family neighbourhoods into multi-family zones. This is necessary—but it takes decades to unfold, and in the meantime, land sits idle.
Demolition Is the Default
When lots redevelop, existing structures are torn down—materials wasted, embodied energy lost, housing destroyed. The cycle repeats with every transition.
Idle Land Produces Nothing
Across the city, backyards, transitional lots, and sites awaiting development sit empty. No housing, no income, no community benefit—just potential waiting.
Owners Hesitate to Build
A landowner planning to redevelop won't build a carriage house first—it will need to come down when the time comes. Permanent structures lock in decisions no one is ready to make, so the land sits empty instead of housing anyone.
GroundShare resolves all four — relocatable homes that activate idle land today and step aside when densification arrives. See how it works →
The Cost of Doing Nothing
The current model treats housing as disposable. Every year the status quo continues, losses compound.
- Build, occupy, demolish. That's the cycle—repeated every time land use changes.
- Land sits empty. Owners avoid adding homes because permanent structures complicate future plans.
What We Lose Every Cycle
Housing lost
Every demolition removes homes from an already strained market.
Materials wasted
Construction debris from teardowns fills landfills instead of serving communities.
Communities disrupted
Residents are displaced during multi-year redevelopment timelines.
Opportunity squandered
Idle land could be producing below-market rental housing right now.
There's a Better Way
What if homes didn't have to be demolished when land use changes? What if idle land could produce housing today—without locking out future development?