The early public discussion
The original website documented discussion of the proposal in The Globe and Mail, NRU and housing research. These publications helped introduce the proposal to a wider audience.
The Globe and Mail · October 2018Transition Zones
Research
The writing and studies behind the proposal.
The proposal developed through a technical brief, contributions to House Divided, public discussion and applied research. These publications and studies document that development.
2019 / Coach House Books
House Divided
How the Missing Middle Can Solve Toronto’s Housing Crisis
Blair Scorgie and Sean Hertel’s chapter, The Affordability Case for Transition Zoning, sets out the proposal within a wider discussion of housing choice and neighbourhood change.
The anthology brings together research, policy proposals and design ideas for missing-middle housing in Toronto.
Visit the publisherResearch and public discussion
A strategy for significantly increasing missing-middle housing
The Centre for Urban Research and Land Development report by Frank Clayton and Diana Petramala recommends transition areas alongside broader changes to neighbourhood and corridor permissions.
Read the CUR reportThe missing middle and the case for density transition zones
Blair Scorgie’s article in Spacing sets out the core spatial argument and distinguishes Transition Zones from approaches focused on the rear of an Avenue property.
Read in SpacingDensity Done Right / Distributed Density
The City Building Institute report places Density Transition Zones within a wider examination of gentle density and housing opportunities in residential neighbourhoods.
Read the research reportTMU Transition Zones studio
A Fall 2024 School of Urban and Regional Planning studio, undertaken with CLIP Homes and instructed by Blair Scorgie, was established to test the framework through background analysis, design concepts and implementation recommendations across different Toronto conditions.
Enquire about the study
2026 / Blair Scorgie
The Space Between
How Cities Manage Change at their Edges
The book takes a closer look at the places where growth expectations meet established neighbourhoods, and the decisions planners make at those edges. It examines how planning policies and professional judgment shape the possibilities for change.
These are also questions behind Transition Zones: where additional housing can fit, how neighbouring properties relate, and how planning can respond to local conditions. Selected renderings from the book appear throughout this site.
Explore the book and previewKeep following the idea
From research
to implementation.
The original proposal identified policy and zoning changes. The implementation page revisits those options against the changes that have happened since.
Read the implementation proposal