Mixed-Use Development
Learn about mixed-use development in Canadian real estate: how it blends housing and commercial space and supports urban density and walkability.
June 16, 2025
What is a Mixed-Use Development?
Mixed-use development refers to real estate projects that integrate multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, retail, and institutional, within a single building or site.
Why Mixed-Use Developments Matter in Real Estate
In Canadian urban real estate, mixed-use development supports compact, efficient land use and enhances walkability and transit access.
Common elements include:- Retail on the ground floor with condos above
- Residential units integrated with office or hotel space
- Civic amenities like libraries or daycare co-located with housing
Mixed-use developments often require detailed zoning approvals and site plans, and are guided by urban planning goals like intensification, sustainability, and livability.
Understanding mixed-use projects helps developers, investors, and municipalities meet evolving housing and commercial needs within growing cities.
Example of a Mixed-Use Development in Action
The developer’s mixed-use project includes two residential towers atop a retail podium with cafés, a grocery store, and a medical clinic.
Key Takeaways
- Combines residential, retail, and/or office space
- Promotes land efficiency and sustainability
- Enhances urban vibrancy and walkability
- Requires detailed zoning and planning approvals
- Popular in high-density urban areas
Related Terms
- Zoning
- Urban Planning
- Transit-Oriented Development
- Site Plan
- Walkability
An overview of Hedge Road Landing. (Alliance Homes)
6525 Mississauga Road and its surrounding context. (RBC Capital Markets & CBRE)
Property details for 6525 Mississauga Road. (RBC Capital Markets & CBRE)
National average resale-price growth and housing-starts growth, smoothed over three months. The comparison illustrates the cycle; it does not establish how much a price change causes construction to change.
Trailing 12-month starts in centres of 50,000 or more remove the usual monthly seasonality. Ownership combines the homeowner and condominium categories; rental is shown separately.
Six-month averages of provincial starts, expressed at annual rates. The smoothing reduces the influence of individual apartment projects.
The same August benchmark compared with two different starting points. Three-month changes are not annualized.
Average sale prices show the difference in purchase costs across markets. They do not measure affordability relative to local incomes or construction costs.
Newfoundland and Labrador remains above its pre-pandemic sales pattern, but August activity was below last year. Historical lines retain their original release vintages.
Average and median describe different aspects of the same month’s transactions. Both are affected by the mix of homes sold.
Category averages compare different homes and locations; the gaps are not estimates of the cost to upgrade an otherwise identical property.
The five categories shown account for 5,000 of the board’s 5,057 sales. The remaining 57 transactions were in other housing categories.
Monthly observations are not seasonally adjusted. Active listings count properties available at month-end; they are not construction inventory.
Average and median prices share one dollar axis. These unadjusted transaction measures do not control for changes in the homes sold.
TRREB’s 416/905 categories compare the apartments sold in each area. The difference does not isolate a location premium for equivalent units.