housing | The Walrus

A group of houses in a small town with "for sale" signs

Society

Small-Town Homes, Big-City Prices: Welcome to the Everywhere Boom

June 3, 2021June 3, 2021 - by Sean Wetselaar

Sky-high housing prices have always been a problem in urban areas. Now, people are being priced out all over

Photo of a group of people gathered in a circle around a fire put, after sundown.

March/April 2021 / Photography

Scenes from Canada’s Housing Crisis

March 3, 2021June 14, 2021 - by Amber Bracken

As cities across the country failed their unhoused populations, one Indigenous-led camp in Edmonton offered support

3D illustration of a person lying on a yoga mat in the dark looking at their phone, the screen illuminating their face. They're surrounded by a bed, desk, exercise equipment, and plants. Internet windows show the tabs they have opened of furniture to buy.

Living Rooms

What DIY Couldn’t Do for Me

December 16, 2020June 8, 2021 - by Kate Black

Hustle culture tells us we’ll be more productive if we optimize our homes. But the decor was never really the problem

Illustration of a woman sitting in front of a TV, snacking on popcorn. Several Los Angeles mansions are growing out of the TV, extending beyond its borders and styled in pink, purple and yellow tones.

Living Rooms

How Real Estate TV Became a Cruel Joke

December 9, 2020December 10, 2020 - by Amil Niazi

Why would I want to watch celebrities shop for multimillion-dollar mansions while I get priced out of my own city?

Illustration of a detached home on a quiet residential street. In the foreground, a painter applies a roller to obscure the neighbourhood in yellow paint.

January/February 2021 / Living Rooms

How to Save the Middle Class

December 2, 2020January 29, 2021 - by Max Fawcett

Our vision of the good life is stuck in the twentieth century. It’s time to reinvent it—starting with home ownership

Artwork of half a dozen clay figures in an apartment room, performing various activities: assembling a chair, sweeping, looking at a cell phone, boxing with one another, and trying to enter the apartment.

Living Rooms

The Rise of the Roommate

November 11, 2020June 8, 2021 - by Kelli María Korducki

Burnt-out and debt-ridden, my generation is poised to change the household as we know it—maybe even for the better

Black-and-white illustration of a grid of apartment units containing tenants trying to connect with people in other units––some are linked by phone cables, some are waving to one another, others are bringing one another food.

Business / COVID-19

Do Good Landlords Even Exist?

April 21, 2020June 8, 2021 - by Zachariah Wells

In the current rental crisis, landlords have a chance to step up. But too many of them are failing their tenants

An illustration of two people holding a roof over a bed, surrounded by elements of an apartment (table and a chair, a door, flowers, and a rug).

Cities

Why It’s Impossible to Buy a House

January 29, 2020June 1, 2020 - by Shawn Micallef

Canadians used to live in a country that built housing with everyone in mind. What happened?

landscape filled with money related objects

Business

The Decade in Money

December 16, 2019February 21, 2020 - by The Walrus Staff

From Vancouver’s unaffordable housing to millennials planning for early retirement, these are the money conversations that defined Canada

April 2019 / Business

Thinking of Buying a Waterfront Property? Read This First

March 4, 2019March 27, 2020 - by Paul Gallant

As climate-related dangers increase, insurance companies are changing where and how we build homes