Film Screening: Thinking Beyond the Market: A film about genuinely affordable housing
Brian Doucet, University of Waterloo
Thursday, January 15, 2026
5:30 pm, Cummings Lecture Theatre
Thinking Beyond the Market: A film about genuinely affordable housing takes you across Canada to learn about policies, programs and projects that are already happening and already having a positive impact on addressing the housing crisis. From using public land to build non-market housing in Kitchener and Whistler, and inspiring Indigenous-led projects in Vancouver, to strong tenant protections and rent control in British Columbia and Prince Edward Island, the examples featured in this film demonstrate how many important solutions are making a difference in communities big and small! The film features interviews with more than 30 planners, policymakers, politicians, developers, residents and housing advocates from coast to coast. The film inspires and challenges us to think about both the root causes of the housing crisis and transformative solutions.
Hosted by Professor David Fortin with Sean Campbell & Associate Professor Adrian Blackwell
Dr Brian Doucet is an author, filmmaker, photographer, researcher, award-winning teacher and Associate Professor in Planning at the University of Waterloo. His work critically examines housing, gentrification, displacement, transportation and neighbourhood change. Born and raised in Toronto, he lived in the Netherlands from 2004 – 2017, where he received his PhD in geography from Utrecht University in 2010. Since returning to Canada in 2017, he has held a Canada Research Chair, been awarded six major SSHRC research grants and was a 2025 winner of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance Teaching Excellence Award. He is the co-author of the award-nominated book, Streetcars and the Shifting Geographies of Toronto: a visual analysis of change, and a co-editor of the four volume book series Global Reflections on COVID-19 and Urban Inequalities.
The Arriscraft Canada Brick Speaker Series at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture brings leading voices from architecture and design to share insights, ideas, and innovations shaping the built environment. This lecture series fosters dialogue between professionals, students, and the community, offering a platform for discussions on contemporary architectural practice. All lectures are free and open to the general public
