Receive our forthcoming report in your inbox. Subscribe for updates

Learn about architecture policies worldwide

Explore international policies and efforts in Canada.

What is an Architecture Policy?

An architecture policy is different from a building code. It’s an aspirational document to guide politicians, professionals and the public toward more sustainable, equitable and engaging communities.

Architecture Policies + Strategies Worldwide

More than 30 countries have adopted or are developing architecture policies. We’ve collected a number of them through the Canadian Architecture Forums on Education (CAFÉs).

Explore policies and related initiatives in different countries and contexts.

Canada Lacks an Architecture Policy

In Canada, there is no federal department dedicated to the quality of the spaces we build and inhabit, or urban design and architecture.

In 2019, the Quebec government announced the development of a Québec Architecture Strategy with the Ordre des architectes du Québec (OAQ) and Québec citizens.

Learn more about Quebec’s progress via the OAQ Stratégie québécoise de l’architecture.

Find Additional Resources

The Canadian Architecture Forums on Education (CAFÉs), completed in 2019-2020, developed a number of resources of interest to those who want to delve deeper into the topic.

  • Canadian Policy Development Resources
  • Resources in Canadian Indigenous Design + Planning
  • International Precedents in Indigenous Design + Planning
  • Truth + Reconciliation Resources
  • Climate Action + Sustainable Development Resources
  • Architecture, Equity and Social Justice Resources

Visit CAFÉ’s resources page to access more information.

Rise for Architecture's goal is to empower the building sectors, educators, and governments to create inclusive, sustainable and inspiring communities for all Canadians. So we're developing a list of proposed actions and objectives to improve the processes and policies that shape how Canada's communities are built.

#RiseForArchitecture

Copyright @2022
Privacy Policy

Join the Movement

Subscribe for invitations to join the conversation, read our findings and support architecture in Canada.

Your email will not be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

From coast to coast to coast, we acknowledge the ancestral and unceded territory of all the Inuit, Métis, and First Nations people that call this land home.