About
I measure neighbourhoods so development decisions rest on evidence
This is the development analytics practice of Daniel Du, in Toronto. I measure the neighbourhood around a site lot by lot and turn it into maps, distributions, and tables that a decision-maker can check.
What I do
I support three moments in a project. Before an acquisition, I review zoning, constraints, policy layers, and nearby development activity. Before a submission, I measure how the proposal fits the neighbourhood pattern and the nearby decision record. Before a hearing, I prepare a cited record for counsel, registered planners, and decision-makers.
Who I work with
Owners, builders, and developers use my studies to test a site before they commit. Land-use counsel and registered professional planners use them to support an application at the Committee of Adjustment, the Toronto Local Appeal Body, or the Ontario Land Tribunal.
How I keep the data honest
- Public sources, cited. Every figure comes from a public record, such as the City's parcel, zoning, building outline, and Committee of Adjustment data. Each exhibit names its source and date.
- Measured the same way every time. Lot area, frontage, depth, setbacks, and height follow fixed definitions, so two studies can be compared.
- Checkable to the lot. Each figure comes with the lot-level table behind it, so another party can recount it.
- Clear about limits. I state the tolerances I apply, the date of each dataset, and what a study does not claim. Building outlines date from 2021 to 2023, so a house rebuilt since then shows its earlier footprint.
- Labelled for what they are. Sample studies run on a demonstration site. Case studies review decided public files after the fact. Daniel Du was not retained on them.