The Globe and Mail

Jake Fry and Aaron Rosensweet have discovered an affordable housing gold mine in the most unlikely of places -- Vancouver's gritty back alleys. Together the two Vancouver designers have formed Smallworks, a design/build company, to push their vision for laneway housing, boasting that they can build quality yet affordable homes quickly, while at the same time reducing the impact of urban sprawl. "We are able to build a home at half the cost in half the time," says Mr. Fry. "We can put up a living house within 2 months." While laneway housing has generated civic optimism in Vancouver, the maze-like bureaucratic process one must navigate to achieve a permit has left few with the time, strength and resources for laneway construction. The initial excitement over the potential for densification as presented by laneway housing in urban centres like Toronto has given way to concerns over the cost of and access to services for these sites and a reluctance of civic authorities to permit construction.