This toolkit was created by the Canadian Alliance for Transit-Connected Housing (CATCH) to support municipal planners, policymakers, and housing stakeholders working at the intersection of transit investment and affordable housing. As new transit lines are planned and built across Canada, communities are grappling with how to ensure these investments improve access and affordability while protecting against displacement. This toolkit brings together real-world examples and decision-making frameworks to help teams navigate these challenges in a structured and pragmatic way.

Equitable Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing (ETOAH) practice must reflect the full diversity of communities near transit corridors including urban Indigenous peoples, who are disproportionately represented among those experiencing core housing needs and whose rights and self-determination must inform any planning process. Priority populations including seniors, people with disabilities, racialized communities, women and children fleeing violence, those experiencing homelessness, and recent immigrants are also frequently most affected by transit-induced displacement and least served by conventional TOD approaches.

This toolkit is version one of what is intended to be an ongoing compendium of tools and materials. We will continue to develop and add more resources over time, including best practices for engaging priority groups, reconciliation-informed approaches to ETOAH, and updates, where possible, to recognize the changing legislative and policy landscape across the country.