2022 Intentions
I wasn’t sure how to start up this blog after realizing that I haven’t updated it in over a year. I think the best way forward is honesty: 2021 was a wild, turbulent, and disruptive year for me personally and professionally. Without getting into all the nitty gritty details, let’s just say a broken foot (Nov. 2020), car accident (Dec. 2020), two lockdowns (January- June 2021), several sidelined development projects (summer 2021), a big research grant (April - October 2021), and then losing both my grandmothers within 2 months of each other, had left me totally depleted. Suffice to say, it was hard to find time to chronicle my work and put new ideas into the world. And I took heed of the moment I was in and honoured my need to hibernate, retreat and focus on what really mattered.
As many of us do around New Year’s, I decided to center myself and identify my goals and intentions for 2022. My core values have always been authenticity, integrity, and collaboration. And I’ve wanted to leverage those values to connect with people, create community and build a better world. Writing/blogging has always been a way to express those things, so my plan it to do more of it in 2022!
I reflected on the fact that as a researcher and advocate, it's hard to feel like you’re doing enough. The link between good, conclusive research and strong government decisions feels distant and non-linear. Writing doesn’t always cut it. Even in my own day-to-day work, I often find myself asking: how do I get from here to there? When I think about those values in the context of the Canadian housing and development market, it is easy to feel frustrated and lost.
My passion for research to not stay locked in an ivory tower, but to materially affect the world we live in has been top of mind. Not only do I want to change the narrative around housing but I also want to affect how it's being developed in real time.
One thing that I am proud of is that the research team that I led was successful in making it to the final stage of the Data-Driven Round of the CMHC Housing Supply Challenge. Now that I’ve emerged from the shock of it all, I’m looking forward to scaling this web tool nationally. If you haven’t had the chance to check out our proof of concept - ADUSearch.ca - then I hope you do! I love hearing from people in the community (many of whom I haven’t even met!) who have reached out and shared feedback. It shows me how useful it actually is, and hopefully we can continue the momentum.
Over the next year, I hope to use this space to share some ideas, refine my thinking, and positively impact the housing and development sector. There are a lot of voices and opinions in this space right now, and rather than add to the clutter, I hope to pierce through it with my own stories and research, told in a convincing, yet light-hearted way. While I won’t make promises on timelines, I do hope you check back here regularly, and also keep in touch with your own thoughts!
