At Collecdev we care about collaboration. That’s not just a slogan dreamed up by our branding agency, it’s how we run our business every day. We think great ideas can come from anywhere. That’s why, earlier this year, we did something seldom seen in the development industry – we launched #CollecdevCity and invited you, the people of the city, to have a say in how you want to live.

When we launched #CollecdevCity at The Property Show, we asked one simple question,

What are your thoughts on community, arts and culture, architecture, innovation, sustainability, and how you want your city to evolve?

We didn’t have an agenda, or an idea of how we wanted the answers to skew. We weren’t discussing a specific project or trying to get buy-in from the community. We were genuinely curious about what people had to say.

Would they vent about unit sizes or be happy to trade a bit of space for the convenience of living in the city core? Would public art come out as a must-have? Or would the environment be top of mind? Which is more important to people - transit or technology? Was affordable housing a concern? The world is evolving and our goal is to help the city follow suit, in a way that maintains a sense of community and a great quality of life for everyone who chooses to call Toronto their home. So what did we find?

More than 100 people participated at the event, covering topics like architecture (“we need to see a lot more landmark buildings come into play”), product mix (“where are families going to live?”), and art (“art and culture is super important to me”). But, more than anything, sustainability rose to the top.

“Sustainability and today’s global environment are top of mind for people,” says Collecdev VP Sales and Marketing, Natascha Pieper. “We heard a lot of support for sustainable building practices, mainly in response to market forces like rising energy costs and mortgage stress tests that directly affect the consumer. When developers are able to offer products that are loaded with sustainable features, things like bike shares, car shares, and geothermal systems that help cut energy costs, and offer predictable monthly maintenance fees, that’s something that buyers perceive as adding value for the long term.”

The results from #CollecdevCity are already informing how we program future developments. “We’re committed to sustainable development and thrilled that people are responding to that,” noted Pieper, “we were also happy to see arts and culture emerge as a trending theme because it’s something that has an immediate positive effect on the pedestrian environment and how people engage with the community. It’s something we will continue to program in our upcoming developments, making art accessible to as many people as possible.”

In the end, the biggest takeaway from #CollecdevCity has been the enthusiasm to participate. In the bustling crowd around our booth, we could hear people engaging in conversations about the importance of transit, the environment, architecture, and cultural space as they waited for their turn in front of the camera. One person whispered excitedly to their neighbour, “finally someone’s taking the time to ask us how we want to see the city grow.”