You can’t change what you don’t measure: the importance of housing dashboards

In the face of Canada’s housing crisis, one truth continues to rise to the surface: you can’t change what you don’t measure. Access to accurate data and intuitive dashboards is crucial - not just for building more homes, but ensuring we’re creating the right types of housing that aligns with the needs of Canada’s diverse and evolving demographics. Clear, visual, and actionable insights help decision-makers, housing advocates, and citizens understand where we stand — and where we need to go. 

We strongly believe that by providing easy access to data, housing providers and advocates can make better decisions. That’s why, as part of our work in the CMHC Level-Up Challenge, we set out to make housing data not only more accessible—but more useful. 

Housing Supply Dashboard

In 2022, Ratio.City was selected as a finalist in CMHC’s Level-Up Challenge—an initiative seeking innovative solutions to Canada’s housing affordability crisis. Our proposal focused on improving the pre-application process, one of the bottlenecks in housing delivery. Improving efficiencies within this process would lead to more housing, while also saving time and money.

To support in achieving these goals, we created The Housing Inventory Dashboards—bringing together critical data in a way that’s easy to understand, explore, and act upon. 

Leveraging data for targeted solutions

We built three dashboards to highlight the current housing landscape in Toronto: 

• Dashboard 1: Housing Affordability 
  Who can afford what—and where? This dashboard breaks down the cost of housing and compares it to local incomes, so we can see where gaps exist and who is being left behind. 

• Dashboard 2: Housing Supply
  Where is housing being built, and at what stage is it in the approval or permit process? This dashboard helps us understand whether we’re meeting our targets and sheds some light affordable housing in the city.

• Dashboard 3: Complete Communities
  Can our neighbourhoods support new housing? This dashboard overlays development data with essential services like transit, schools, and community infrastructure to ensure growth is sustainable. 

Why does this approach matter? 

Housing isn’t just about units on a map. It’s about people — where they live, what they can afford, and how well their communities are set up to support them. The dashboards we built are designed to help make more informed decisions.

• They improve the planning process. 
  When planners and developers can see what’s needed — and where — they can design stronger proposals. And when municipalities have easy access to that same data, they can make faster, more confident decisions. 

• They help direct development to the right places. 
  The data highlights where demand is high and where housing is in short supply. That’s critical for making sure new units actually serve the people who need them most. 

• They increase transparency. 
  With these dashboards, you can see what’s working and what isn’t. That means municipalities and advocates can focus on scaling up successful initiatives — and addressing issues where needed. 

Collaboration at the core: how we built the dashboards

We didn’t want to just build tools that could be useful. We took time to understand what people actually needed.  

We spoke to the City of Toronto’s Housing Secretariat to align with their work and upcoming data efforts. We also connected with housing advocates across the city to learn what information would help them push for more affordable and equitable development. 

Once we had a clearer overview, we built early prototypes using Esri’s ArcGIS Online platform and reviewed them again with housing advocates, students, and other community members for feedback. Their feedback helped shape the final product, which is now live and freely available on our website. 

This was always about more than building a dashboard. It was about creating something useful and easy to navigate while improving transparency — especially for the people doing the hard work of building, approving, and advocating for housing. 

If we want to build more housing — and the right type of buildings — we need to understand the needs, streamline processes, reduce risks and eliminate delays. The Housing Inventory Dashboard is one way we’re helping decision-makers and advocates work from a common understanding. 

Want to see what’s really going on in Toronto’s housing landscape? 

Take a look at the dashboards. They’re free to use, easy to navigate, and built for anyone who cares about housing in our cities.