Dr. Carolyn Whitzman is a housing and social policy researcher. She has worked as an expert advisor to UBC’s Housing Assessment Resource Tools (HART) project, which developed standardized best practices for analysing housing need, using government land for nonmarket housing, and nonmarket property acquisition, using detailed, open data. These tools have influenced federal housing policy. Currently, she works as a senior housing researcher at University of Toronto’s School of Cities, analysing best practices in land policy, financing and construction to scale affordable non-market and market housing. She is a frequent media commenter on housing issues.
Carolyn is the author, co-author or lead editor of six books, including Home Truths: Fixing Canada’s Housing Crisis (UBC Press, 2024) and Clara at the Door with a Revolver: The scandalous Black suspect, the exemplary white son, and the murder that shocked Toronto (UBC Press, 2023). She is the author or co-author of over 80 book chapters, articles, and reports, on issues related to the right to the city. She has provided expertise to national, state/provincial and local governments, UN Women, UN Habitat, and private and non-profit organizations.
Books
(2024) Whitzman, C. Home Truths: Fixing Canada’s Housing Crisis (University of British Columbia- On Point Press).
(2023) Whitzman, C. Clara at the Door with a Revolver: the scandalous Black suspect, the exemplary white son, and the murder that shocked Toronto (University of British Columbia- On Point Press)
Selected recent reports
(2025) Whitzman, C. & Blonder, N. Enabling Co-Living in Canada: scaling up a new generation of collective dwellings. Montreal: Institute for Research on Public Policy (forthcoming, December 2025).
(2025) Whitzman, C. Human Rights-Based Housing Targets and Mechanisms for Canada. Ottawa; Office of the Federal Housing Advocate.
(2025) Whitzman, C. Scaling Up Affordable Housing Through a Build Canada Homes Proposal. Toronto: Maytree Foundation.
(2025) Whitzman, C. Scaling Up Canada’s Community Housing Sector: Bundling Assets and Building Capacity – Developing a Model. Toronto; University of Toronto School of Cities.
(2024) Whitzman, C, Ashtari, N., Perwani, P. Enabling the Missing Middle: Definitions, Barriers, Enablers, and Promising Practices. Toronto: University of Toronto School of Cities.
(2024) Whitzman, C., Shiga, L. Perwani, P. Scaling Up Modular Construction. Toronto: University of Toronto School of Cities.
(2024) Whitzman, C., Shiga, L., Perwani, P. Big Ideas for Small Town Affordable Homes: Cost savings of standardized design. Toronto: University of Toronto School of Cities.
(2024) Whitzman, C. Both/And: Integrating natural assets in federal housing supply policy. Victoria: Natural Assets Initiative.
(2023) Whitzman, C. A Human Rights Based Calculation of Canada’s Housing Shortages. Ottawa: Office of the Federal Housing Advocate.
(2023) Whitzman, C. Our City Starts with Home: Scaling Up Non-Profit Housing in Ottawa. Ottawa: Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa.
(2022) Whitzman, C, Flynn, A., Gurstein P, Jones, C., Chau, L, Atkey, J., Suttor, G., Falvo, N. The Municipal Role in Housing. Toronto: University of Toronto Institute for Municipal Finance and Governance.
Selected journalism/professional publications
(2024, August 18) Whitzman, C. “We Need to Stop Talking About Home Ownership As the Only Path to Secure Housing”, Toronto Star.
(2024, April 7). Whitzman, C. “A Stronger Canada Begins with Better Housing. Here’s How to Do It”, Toronto Star.
(2024, September 3) Whitzman, C. “Workers Can’t Find Affordable Housing. Their Pension Funds Are Part of the Problem”, Globe and Mail.
(2024, May 31) Whitzman, C. “If Justin Trudeau and Doug Ford actually want affordable housing in Ontario, they’ll have to agree on this one basic thing”, Toronto Star.
(2023, November 21) Whitzman, C. “A Million Nonmarket Homes in 10 Years: That Should be the Goal,” Policy Options.
(2023, August 23) Whitzman, C. “Canada’s Progressive Parties Have Lost the Plot on the Housing Crisis,” Globe and Mail.
(2022, November 11) Whitzman, C. “Governments Across Canada Need Common, Income-Based Definition of Affordable Housing,” Globe and Mail.
(2022, August 3) Whitzman, C. “A Two Million Home Program is Possible,” National Right to Housing Network blog.
School of Cities projects
Scaling Up Community Housing: Bundling assets and building capacity to create the future of housing (CMHC Solutions Lab, with SHS Consulting, April 2025- September 2026)
Housing Innovation Scaling Hub (CMHC Housing Supply Challenge,2024)
Email: Carolyn.whitzman@utoronto.ca