Dalhousie Housing Strategy
Nova Scotia has added nearly 111,000 new residents since 2015, bringing our population to over a million. That number is expected to double by 2060.
More than 47,000 students currently attend Nova Scotia’s post-secondary institutions. That’s up 3,600 from 2015 – with the majority coming from outside our Nova Scotia. Universities are instrumental in the province’s growth strategy. Dalhousie and other universities play an essential role in Nova Scotia’s aspiration to forge a vibrant future for those who currently call this place home and those we will welcome, who will enrich our campuses, our municipalities, and our province with their unique perspectives and diverse experiences.
But the shortage of housing, including affordable housing, threatens these goals and poses immense challenges for many in our community. Dalhousie must do its part to help solve this issue. Planning work to build more student housing for Dalhousie is underway.
Read more from President Kim Brooks here
Progress to date
In fall 2023, Dalhousie held consultations involving a combination of a survey, focus groups, and dotmocracy, aimed at soliciting valuable insights and preferences from students regarding the design and features of new residence buildings at Dalhousie. Over 2,000 students were consulted as part of this process. The primary focus centered around student preferences regarding residential accommodation types and associated amenities. The focus groups delved into nuanced aspects of residential environments, addressing considerations such as safety, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (EDIA), technological provisions, and sustainability.
Read a report about the findings from the consultations.
Next Steps
· In February 2024, Dalhousie released a Request for Expression of Interest to gauge market interest and opportunities for partnership in developing student housing. The Request for Expression of Interest is open until March 27, 2024.
· Feedback and learning from the Request for Expression of Interest will help inform our next steps towards adding further student housing.
· Should Dalhousie be the Owner on any projects to construct new student housing, Dalhousie’s Board of Governors' process for project pre-planning, design, and implementation approvals will be followed.
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