The Project
RenovationWatch.ca addresses the housing insecurity crisis in Toronto by making city building permit data for multi-unit rental housing accessible. This initiative, a collaboration with University of Toronto professors Dr. Michelle Buckley and Dr. Glenn Brauen, offers an interactive and user-friendly platform. It equips renters, researchers, and tenant organizations with data to monitor renovation activities, challenge unjust Above Guideline Increases (AGIs), and advocate against renovictions. By transforming complex raw datasets into actionable information, the platform enables renters to navigate housing challenges and hold landlords accountable. The application is built upon open source technologies and leverages open data.
Although the City of Toronto’s Open Data Portal provides valuable public datasets on building permits, the raw format, massive CSV files with tens of thousands of entries, makes it difficult for renters and advocates to find relevant information. These datasets encompass permits for a wide range of structures, from single-family homes to multi-unit residential buildings, presenting an overwhelming challenge in seeking actionable insights. Our project aimed to bridge this gap by transforming the data into an intuitive and accessible tool that renters and tenant organizations could use to monitor renovation activity and advocate for their rights.
Project Tour
As many users lack experience with large datasets, RenovationWatch.ca ensures that the information is readily available and understandable. The project identified and isolated datasets specific to multi-unit residential buildings, then cleaned and normalized the data, validating its accuracy and removing irrelevant entries. Innovative digital technologies were utilized to develop an interactive platform that displays building permits on a searchable map. Users can explore the data by address or filter permits by type, year, and status, making it easy to visualize previously obscure renovation patterns and trends. The application, built with open-source technologies like Leaflet.js, React.js, Apollo Server, Apollo Client, Redux, and PostgreSQL, leverages a custom GraphQL API for efficient data management. This architecture allows the front-end to consume the API, showing and filtering permit data on the map with responsive performance, and revealing geographic patterns.
What makes RenovationWatch unique is its focus on turning open data into actionable insights. Beyond making information accessible, the platform helps renters understand the broader implications of renovation activity, such as links to Above Guideline Increases (AGIs) and renovictions. Its visualizations reveal geographic patterns, highlighting neighborhoods disproportionately affected by displacement pressures. By integrating these insights, the platform empowers users to monitor their housing situations, engage city officials, and hold landlords accountable.
RenovationWatch emphasizes the importance of open data in fostering civic engagement and protecting vulnerable populations. By addressing systemic housing inequities, the platform aligns with broader goals of equity and accessibility. A user-friendly interface, designed with input from the target audience, ensures usability and accessibility. Additionally, the platform is built using open-source technologies. It features an efficient backend system, which utilizes a custom GraphQL API and a PostgreSQL database for seamless data management and retrieval. Ultimately, RenovationWatch.ca equips tenants and tenant organizations with the information they need to advocate for their rights and challenge unjust practices.
RenovationWatch.ca exemplifies how open data can be leveraged to address critical social issues and empower vulnerable populations. By providing tenants with the information they need to understand and challenge renovation activities, the platform promotes housing security and contributes to a more equitable Toronto. The project's success demonstrates the transformative potential of combining open data with thoughtful design and a commitment to community needs.