During the early 1970's to mid 1980's, the Federal Government introduced seven programs aimed at stimulating rental housing construction. Three of the programs characterized a market-welfare approach to housing stimulation (the Multiple Unit Residential Building Program, the Assisted Rental Supply Plan and the Canada Rental Supply Plan). The remaining four characterized a social-welfare approach to housing stimulation (the Section 15.1 Non-Profit Program, the Section 34.18 Co-op Program and the

more »

... Section 56.1 Non-Profit and Co-operative Housing Program). This thesis investigates some of the economic and social impacts of these market- and social-welfare programs in the Greater Vancouver Area between 1975 to 1985. Four categories of economic impacts are analyzed: rental stock growth, economic displacement, multiplier effect and employment generation. In terms of social impacts, two categories of local community impacts are examined: those attributable to the characteristics of households occupying program housing and those attributable to program housing location (i.e. single family areas, medium to high density areas and areas of gentrification). This does not mean that all the economic and social impacts of these programs are discussed. Rather, only a sample of each are examined from which suggestions are made as to the economic and social impacts in their entirety. Furthermore, calculations of the monetary cost of each program and between program comparisons of efficiency are not within the scope of this research. While this research makes extensive use of Greater Vancouver Area empirical data, national averages and research based on other areas of North America are also used. It is assumed that the resulting errors are minimal. The thesis research suggests that in relation to the social-welfare programs, the economic and social costs associated with the market-welfare programs were extremely high. The market-welfare programs produced 23,169 units for a direct and indirect multiplier effect of over $600 millio [...]