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2023 Canadian Women in Real Estate Awards
Ontario
Namaa Blonder
Co-founded her own firm
2023 RBC Woman of Influence
Naama Blonder is determined to do housing differently.
So she co-founded Smart Density, an architecture firm that, with partners, plans, designs and develops high-density multi-residential housing projects and other properties that seek to make the best use of spaces in tight places within urban cores.
As she wrote in the Toronto Star, Blonder believe that the Canadian dream of a life in the suburbs is all wrong. In her view, cities create the critical mass that drives economic development, creativity and community.
She is a strong advocate for the development of missing middle housing, a concept that emphasizes a range of multi-family housing types, including rental apartments, rather than traditional suburban neighbourhoods.
Blonder’s efforts have earned her a 2023 RBC Women of Influence Award. Smart Density earned the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) Best Emerging Practice Award in 2022.
In addition to operating her company, Blonder sits on the board of non-profit housing provider Kehilla and served on the OAA’s housing affordability task force.