Our Crumbling Foundation

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An urgent and illuminating examination of the unrelenting housing crisis Canadians find ourselves facing, by Balsillie Prize finalist and CBC Radio host Gregor Craigie, Our Crumbling Foundation offers real-life solutions from around the world and hope for new housing innovation in the face of seemingly impossible obstacles.

Canada is experiencing a housing shortage. Although house prices in major Canadian cities appear to have topped out in early 2023, new housing isn’t coming onto the market quickly enough. Rising interest rates have only tightened the pressure on buyers, and renters, too, as rising mortgage rates cost landlords more, which are passed along to tenants in rent increases. Even with the recent federal budget commitment to bring more housing online by 2030, there will still be a shortfall of 3.5 million homes by 2030.

Gregor Craigie is a CBC journalist in Victoria, one of the highest-priced housing markets in the country. On his daily radio show On The Island he’s been talking for over 15 years to local experts and to those across the country about housing. Craigie has travelled to many of the places he profiles in the book, and in his interviews with Canadians he presents the human face of the shortfall as he speaks with renters, owners and homeless people, exploring their varying predicaments and perspectives. He then shows, through comparable profiles of people across the globe, how other North American and international jurisdictions (Tokyo, Paris, Berlin, Helsinki, Singapore, Ireland, to name a few) are housing their citizens better, faster and with determination—solutions that could be put into practice here.

With passion, knowledge and vigour, Craigie explains how Canada reached this critical impasse and will convince those who may not yet recognize how badly our entire country is in need of change. Our Crumbling Foundation provides hope for finding our way out of the crisis by recommending a number of approaches at all levels of government. The prescription for how we’re going to house ourselves and do so equitably, requires not just a business solution, nor simply a social solution.PRAISE FOR OUR CRUMBLING FOUNDATION:

“Gregor Craigie blends clear writing, deep research and deeper compassion in this essential study of the housing crisis that affects us all—but especially society’s most vulnerable people. By applying a global lens to a national crisis, he highlights realistic ways to solve one of the most urgent problems of our time.” —Josh O’Kane, bestselling author of Sideways: The City Google Couldn’t Buy

“This is an exhaustive look at one of the most important issues facing this country right now. With impeccable timing, Craigie presents a thorough analysis of the mechanics of housing affordability, and just how far off the path we’ve gone.” —Daniel Foch, co-host of The Canadian Real Estate Investor podcast

“Gregor Craigie’s Our Crumbling Foundation is a deeply reported look at Canada’s ever-growing housing crisis. It’s also so chockful of solutions that it makes you want to shake politicians and policymakers and ask: ‘When are you going to act?’” —André Picard, author of Neglected No More
 
“In this insightful and accessible blueprint, Craigie navigates readers through the crisis of the Canadian housing landscape with national and international examples, that include both failures and innovative [outcomes]. Written like a novel, each micro-chapter transports readers to the location of the story and into the lives of the characters, However, unlike fiction, this book provides copious amounts of facts, advice and moments that tug at your heart and inspire action. While the alarm rings loudly, Craigie’s calm and expertly crafted narrative provides a beacon of hope. With compelling clarity, he empowers policy makers, and others, to embrace these transformative insights and breathe life into much-needed solutions. Don’t miss this essential read; the future of Canadian housing depends on it.” —Celina Caesar-Chavannes, former MP and author of Can You Hear Me Now?

“Our Crumbling Foundation is a must read, not just for policy wonks but for anyone affected by a housing crisis that knows no bounds. With a focus not just on the problem, but also tangible solutions, Craigie provides numerous paths forward. From Duncan to Paris with many stops in between, Our Crumbling Foundation explores the multitude of factors that got us into this housing mess, and how we can get ourselves out of it, by bringing to life the housing frustrations of real people and a range of policy solutions tried around the world. Starting with the Vancouver Special and concluding with 3D printed homes, Our Crumbling Foundation takes us on an exploration of how the housing crisis affects real people while offering real policy and building solutions for finding our way out.” —Jill Atkey, CEO, BC Non-Profit Housing Association

“To solve Canada’s housing crisis, Gregor Craigie roams the globe seeking answers in 20 disparate places, among them Tokyo, Santa Monica, Helsinki, Paris, Singapore and Tabasco, Mexico. Astonishingly, he finds individuals in every location willing to share intimate details of how they are coping with upheaval—by creating co-ops or crowding into mice-infested apartments or investigating 3D printed homes. Along the way, Craigie provides an avalanche of facts and figures. He warns that Canada’s housing crisis is just beginning, offers a list of 37 measures to address the emerging nightmare and, in ‘Craigie’s Index,’ even adds a touch of statistical whimsy. Our Crumbling Foundation is a transformative tour de force—a breakout book that bodes well to change the author’s career.” —Ken McGoogan, author of Searching for Franklin
 
“I needed to read this book! Our Crumbling Foundation is a captivating mosaic of housing need across Canada. You travel when you read this book. Gregor Craigie draws on his journalism roots to illustrate the housing struggles of a diverse group of Canadians. Interspersed with his visits to living rooms, even a RV park across the country, he brings to life solutions being implemented around the world: the huge co-op movement in Berlin, La Samaritaine and the public housing project Bois-le-Prêtre in Paris, tiny home and modular construction in Ireland and Oregon, even 3-D printing homes in Mexico. The solutions are at hand!” —Cathy Crowe C.M., Street Nurse, Visiting Practitioner at Toronto Metropolitan University

“Gregor Craigie’s Our Crumbling Foundation has nailed the issue of the moment with its overview of the housing crisis causing so much anxiety in cities around the  world, especially amongst young people. Gregor’s weaving of stories of real people and their real struggles to find suitable and affordable housing makes this book accessible to the reader and demystifies a complex and perplexing housing crisis. His Canadian perspective illustrates how much more still needs to be done in our country to get it right. The plight of young Canadians must be addressed so that they can see a future for themselves living here. Gregor provides practical solutions that have worked elsewhere and opens our minds to the possibility that new technologies will ultimately save us. This book leaves us with hope that governments will formulate policy that will create the conditions to build more housing that is urgently needed now.” —Mitzie Hunter, MBA, Former MPP Scarborough-Guildwood and Ontario Minister of Education
 
“Author and journalist Gregor Craigie delves into the heart of the housing crisis in this latest work, exploring the diverse struggles faced by individuals across Canada in their pursuit of affordable and adequate housing. Through compelling storytelling, Craigie not only navigates the challenges but also unveils global insights, highlighting both triumphs and setbacks worldwide. Ultimately, Craigie presents a comprehensive list of ‘repairs’ for our crumbling foundation. A must-read for those seeking understanding in the face of this complex societal change.” —Carolina Ibarra, Chief Executive Officer, Pacifica Housing

PRAISE FOR GREGOR CRAIGIE and ON BORROWED TIME:

“A compelling call to action for politicians, policymakers, and Canadians to not wait until it’s too late.” —2021 Balsillie Prize Jury citation

“Craigie has interviewed countless experts in the past two decades, which gives him authority as he scouts the situation in North America in particularly chilling detail.” —Literary Review of Canada

“The book offers much more than technical information; personal accounts, journals, old news articles, even diaries illustrate all too clearly the threats posed by shifts in the earth beneath us. Some of these stories are heartbreaking.” —Miramichi ReaderGREGOR CRAIGIE has been a journalist for more than 25 years at the BBC World Service, CBC Radio, CBS Radio and Public Radio International. He has hosted On The Island on CBC Radio One in Victoria, BC, since 2007. His first book, On Borrowed Time: North America’s Next Big Quake, was a finalist for both the Balsillie Prize for Public Policy and the City of Victoria Book Prize, and was a Globe and Mail Top 100 book in 2021. His first novel, Radio Jet Lag, was published in 2023.CA

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