In this episode of Classonomix, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down what actually makes a home “family-friendly,” and what a survey of 4,000 Canadians reveals about whether townhomes, strawberry-box bungalows, and apartment towers are truly fit for raising kids. They unpack the developmental science behind childhood outcomes, introduce the “kitchen window test” for fostering independent play, and explain why the family-friendly courtyard apartments popular across Europe remain effectively illegal to build under Canadian zoning and building codes.

Chapters:

00:00 The Great Family Exodus

00:58 Defining Family Friendly Homes

05:15 Rating Canadian Homes: Suburbs to Condos

10:05 The Low-Rise vs. High-Rise Trap for Kids

14:38 What Science Says About Raising Kids in Suburbs

18:05 Why Public Parks Fail Young Families

19:23 The "Kitchen Window Test"

20:15 The European Courtyard Alternative

22:41 Why It’s So Hard to Build Family Housing

Research:

Social housing: A key part of past and future housing policyhttps://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2020/10/social-housing-a-key-part-of-past-and-future-housing-policy_ef96d6d9/5b54f96b-en.pdf

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

Produced by Meredith Martin

Edited by Sean Foreman and Canadian Civil