Canada and UN-Habitat launch accessible-ready housing research

Accessibility Standards Canada and UN-Habitat have launched a research project on applying Canada’s accessible-ready housing standard in municipalities and test cities.

UN-Habitat will lead the work, funded by Accessibility Standards Canada. The project will examine local policy, regulations, construction practices and costs associated with CAN-ASC-2.8:2025, the federal accessible-ready housing standard.

The partners say accessible-ready construction can include features such as reinforced walls for future lift installation and clear pathways that make later adaptations easier.

Municipalities can participate as case-study or knowledge partners. Planned outputs include practical design guidance and a compendium of examples, with findings to be shared at the World Urban Forum in 2028.

Source: Accessibility Standards Canada announcement, published October 28, 2026.

Image: Illustrative stock photo of residential housing by Alex Tyson on Unsplash, used under the Unsplash Licence. It does not show a project site or research participant. Cropped/resized by WordPress.