Lack of affordable housing affects student mental health, promotes social hierarchies

Trying to find student housing in Toronto not only requires resourcefulness and creativity, but it further exacerbates the marginalization of students and creates socio-economic burdens, says York University Associate Professor Luisa Sotomayor, lead author of a new paper.

Sprawl can be vertical or horizontal, tackling it requires a hard look at housing policy

Usually when people think of urban sprawl it’s rows of houses spread out horizontally from a city centre, but in a new paper, York University researchers say vertical sprawl is equally an issue. Sprawl is tied to the lack of accessibility, how houses are commodified and financed, and the current housing crisis, which the pandemic has exacerbated.