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This study developed and tested an initial tool for the systematic observation of secondary units at the neighbourhood scale by utilizing an inventory checklist method inspired by studies in the fields of health geography and criminology. Single-family dwellings with secondary units were found to have one or more of 18 visual characteristics as outlined in the proposed tool. In the neighbourhoods where the tool was applied it was found that, within the Canadian context, urban neighbourhoods contain a higher proportion and density of secondary units than newer, suburban areas. Indicators that emerged as most prevalent included more than one mailbox per dwelling, unit numbers on single-family dwellings, more than one electric meter, and lawns converted for parking of multiple vehicles. Local and regional variations in housing stock characteristics and local housing markets make the standardization of such a tool problematic. However, this method does present a place-based approach that provides a subtle means of understanding the unique attributes, and distribution, of this type of housing at a scale relevant to municipal planning decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mapping linkages between the formal and informal sectors is a key area of study in the informal markets literature, particularly in research that focuses on low-income economic actors in the global south. This paper extends that literature both spatially and sociologically by exploring an instance of market informality practiced by middle-class households in the global north, specifically the market in unauthorized secondary suite rentals in Vancouver. Secondary suites (also known as accessory dwelling units) are self-contained apartments typically built by retrofitting the basement, garage, or attic of a house-in some cases without adhering to existing regulations. As in other cities, homeowners in Vancouver often rent out these apartments regardless of the unit's legal status. Through an analysis of more than 30 interviews conducted with homeowner-landlords of unauthorized secondary suites in the city, a mapping of formal-informal linkages in this rental housing submarket is undertaken. This local-level mapping exercise also examines how municipal enforcement policy and federal housing and taxation policy relate to these linkages, highlighting contradictions within and between municipal, provincial, and federal scales of government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]