The quickest way to create…

The quickest way to create more housing is to fix what we already have.

In answer to the question: What are the biggest barriers and delays to diversifying the types of housing built in existing neighbourhoods?

The biggest barrier is the inability to see the potential of adapting and using existing structures more efficiently to house more people more quickly and more cheaply than building new.

There is a general lack of skilled and experienced professionals and tradespeople who can recognize the potential of existing structures to house more people quickly and efficiently.
In our current climate crisis, fixing up an existing building is better for the environment than tearing it down and replacing it with new materials. It's definitely cheaper, especially given growing supply chain and inflation issues. Yet few property owners are presented with this option.

Instead, huge investment firms looking for huge profits have convinced local municipalities and provincial officials that only new buildings can solve the housing crisis. Creating a "clear space" on which to build a new house/townhome/highrise takes lots of time and money long before the "red tape" of zoning, planning and building permits begins.

Meanwhile the obvious, easy, quicker solutions are ignored.

The solution is to showcase examples of adaptive reuse and develop them as teaching models.