
The War Over Upzoning Just Escalated
From The Missing Middle Podcast by Cara Stern, Mike Moffatt, and Meredith Martin
May 1, 2026 · 17 min · Season 1 · Episode 172
About this episode
The episode discusses the recent pushback against upzoning in Canadian cities and its implications for housing reform.
Cities across Canada are backing away from upzoning. After agreeing to allow fourplexes and other missing middle housing, municipalities like Calgary, Toronto, Markham, and Windsor are scaling back — or reversing — reforms altogether. What’s behind the pushback, and are YIMBYs losing the as-of-right fight? In this segment, we break down: Why cities are rejecting upzoning after agreeing to it What Calgary’s reversal means for housing reform Why Edmonton is succeeding where others aren’t T...
People in this episode
Hosts: Cara Stern, Mike Moffatt, Meredith Martin
Topics covered
- upzoning
- housing reform
- municipal policy
- YIMBY movement
- urban development
Keywords
- upzoning
- housing
- Canada
- municipalities
- YIMBY
- Calgary
- Toronto
- reform
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Canada, Calgary, Toronto, Markham, Windsor, Edmonton
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