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<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto: James Bombales<\/em><\/p>\n Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, homeowners have had a lot of time to reassess what they need in a home. For some, this has meant considering a new property outside of the city<\/a>, somewhere that might offer more space for fewer dollars.<\/p>\n While there\u2019s been much discussion within the real estate industry about homebuyers wanting to relocate to communities outside of Toronto, some experts say that this won\u2019t necessarily translate into a boom for suburban growth, or waning interest in city-living.<\/p>\n \u201cI would still prefer to have and enjoy the downtown, or what any urban centre has to offer, versus living in the suburbs and getting into my car and only being able to drive to Walmart,\u201d said Naama Blonder, a Toronto-based architect, urban planner and co-founder of Smart Density.<\/a><\/p>\n\n Blonder explained that there\u2019s been much discussion around the perks of suburban living versus city life during the pandemic. This dialogue often touches on how city homeowners tend to lack large, private backyards \u2014 a resource that urban dwellers have craved after months of lockdown \u2014 and may face more space-related challenges when working from home.<\/p>\n However, Blonder pointed out that if home office culture is here to stay, city homes, even without access to a yard, offer proximity to a wealth of park and public amenities that exist outside of the home that suburban and rural residences wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n A proponent of family-friendly housing, Blonder explained that city condos and units can do more to accommodate families by addressing their needs in tandem with public spaces. For instance, condos don\u2019t necessarily need to be the size of a house, but can offer smart layouts with more bedrooms and amenities within the building that can\u2019t be included in the unit itself. One analogy she uses is Paris \u2014 young families thrive in the European city without private backyards.<\/p>\n \u201cI know as someone who advocates for family-friendly housing and high-density for working families, this product currently does not exist, or is not enough,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s something that I\u2019ve been talking a lot about. I think that the demand is here, and the people won\u2019t give up the city.\u201d<\/p>\n Photo:\u00a0Sandro Schuh<\/a>\u00a0\/ Unsplash<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Along with the convenience of a shorter commute time that Millennial buyers often seek, and the independence cities can offer for growing teenagers, Blonder believes the suburbs will not necessarily flourish post-COVID while the desire to live in Toronto continues to grow.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think we will need to face that, the question of cities, not just Toronto, but cities declining,\u201d said Blonder. \u201cI think we now understand, for decades, even if we\u2019re not there yet, that building compact cities is better for the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n Real estate agents have noticed that homebuyers have used the pandemic as an opportunity to analyze what\u2019s important to them. Agents in outer-city communities are receiving higher-than-normal levels of buyer inquiries. Kori Marin and Ralph Fox, Toronto real estate brokers and managing partners at Fox Marin Associates<\/a>, have noted buyers weighing their options more and strategizing for the long-term.<\/p>\n \u201cI think real estate is a very large component to that obviously, but we just don\u2019t see people, in our experience, throwing caution to the wind and saying, \u2018That\u2019s it, we\u2019re out,\u2019\u201d said Fox.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n