The Role of Condominium Amenities in Community Building

Many Canadian cities are facing densification through the condominium-boom. Planning policies and neoliberalism are encouraging this form of housing. The term “community” is recognized in legal and land-use planning processes through a political lens, but it does not consider the sociological aspect. Residents make the community by developing relationships. Research is needed to identify if residents enjoy their condo amenities and if they feel it has an impact on community building. By researching this matter, planners, policy makers and condo board members can make certain changes that may improve the residents’ sense of community. This study consists of a mixed methods approach: quantitative and qualitative. Data on condo amenities has been collected from a real estate website, for data on an inner city (Downtown Toronto), an older suburb (Scarborough) and a new suburb (Vaughan). This provides data on the types of amenities available to condo residents. Residents from these areas also described their experiences. Both of these methods inform the condo residents’ perspectives. As there is a rise of feeling lonely in today’s society, cities need to plan for the psychological wellbeing of inhabitants. The narratives of cities are changing, which means that definitions of community are also changing. It is important to make structures that satisfy the psychological and physical needs of residents.