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Laneway houses are beautiful and functional, can make back alleys safer, and could bring more housing stock to Toronto, says a man who makes his home in one in the city’s east end.

Could houses in laneways be a solution to Toronto’s housing crunch? Matt Galloway spoke with Alex Sharpe. He is the co-founder of the commercial real estate firm “Spire”, as well as “iQ Office Suites”.

Laneway suites should be permitted across Toronto as part of the solution to the city’s affordable housing shortage while providing an alternative to vertical living, say two councilors behind the push at city hall.

On a balcony high above Church and Adelaide streets, two roommates – one starting a career as a real estate developer, the other studying to be an architect – would cradle glasses of scotch and gaze at the city below. “We’d talk about how awesome laneway houses were and how much we wanted the opportunity to do a project.”