ROAC

Regulatory Organizations of Architecture in Canada

A vision for the future

The Future of Architecture in Canada

A Vision for the Future cover
Download our report

Canadians are facing many intersecting challenges: the climate crisis, social justice, Truth and Reconciliation, human health and wellbeing, economic disparity and political instability. All can be hindered or helped by our profession, yet few Canadians really understand the impact architecture has on their daily lives.

For architecture to be leveraged to the maximum extent possible to help Canadian communities thrive, we need a new social contract between the profession of architecture and the people we serve.

We imagine a future where all Canadians are empowered to guide the design of their communities; where social and environmental justice shape every design decision; and where architecture is leveraged to celebrate diverse cultures and contribute to a prosperous future.

Canadians want more from architecture

A pie chart showing 77% of respondents said yes, 19% not sure, and 4% said no.
When asked if they support the need for better policies to guide the planning and design of our communities, including the benefits of an architecture policy for Canada, 77% of respondents said yes.
Source: Rise for Architecture Public Survey, April 2022.

Canadians want more welcoming, inclusive communities—and more accountability for creating them. We heard this from over 5,000 people responding to public engagements conducted between 2019 and 2022. Input came from:

  • 2,969 members of the public
  • 1,500 architects
  • 1,000 architectural students

Their response was overwhelmingly in favour of better policies to guide the planning and design of our communities.

How an architecture policy for Canada can help

Where a building code sets minimum standards, an Architecture Policy for Canada would set ambitious goals for how the built environment contributes to our social, cultural and economic well-being.

An Architecture Policy for Canada would: Create healthier, more equitable built environments. Empower people to pursue positive change in their own communities. Guide governments in leveraging architecture to support desirable social outcomes. Help the public understand architecture's value. Make Canada more compelling (and competitive) on the world stage. Strengthen advocacy for architecture across Canada. Reduce Canada's environmental impact. The policy would be open to evolution - responsive to the diversity of local situations and changing needs over time.

While more than 30 countries have adopted architecture policies which shape higher expectations for the design of communities, Canada lags behind. We aim to change this.

What else are we recommending?

Our research and national consultation findings culminated in a set of recommendations that are pivotal for the future of architecture in Canada.

We call on the profession to:

  1. Renew the governance partnership between organizations within the profession, including regulators, schools, advocacy organizations, and governments.
  2. Collaborate to achieve the goal of an Architecture Policy for Canada.
  3. Expand the definition of public interest.
  4. Commit to dramatically improving equity within the profession.
  5. Involve the public in the processes that shape their communities.
  6. As both individual architects, technologists, and firms, contribute solutions to the big social challenges of our time.

Read our Vision for the Future of Architecture in Canada

A Vision for the Future cover
Download our national consultation findings and recommended actions towards an Architecture Policy for Canada.

You can also explore the following documents, which are included in the main report and appendix:

  1. Consultation Documents – Vision of Value
  2. Independent Research on the Development of Architecture Policies

In presenting these recommendations, we acknowledge the ancestral traditional territories of the Inuit, Metis and Indigenous peoples from coast to coast to coast that have always called this land home.

About Rise for Architecture

Rise for Architecture is an initiative of the Regulatory Organizations of Architecture in Canada (ROAC) with support from the Canadian Council of University Schools of Architecture (CCUSA) and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC).