Redevelopment of Regent Park | U/C | Multiple Phases | Regent Park

[OEincorparated]

Don't chuckle, Run!

[Mollywood]

An update video of Regent Park (Arts Centre, Youth Hub, Christian Centre) and a look inside at the new FreshCo grocery store.

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[Jim856796]

I hear you were thnking about imploding the old Regent Park highrises. No highrise building in Toront has ever been imploded.

[AndrewJM3D]

Where did you hear this?

[Jim856796]

Other SSC members have talked about the idea on the previous page.

[AndrewJM3D]

I know, I think I was the first to mention it. Nothing has been said as of yet but due to their size and how far they stad from other buildings it should be a fairly simple implosion to pull off. I was hoping you heard something.

[Mollywood]

I want to see an implosion. I'd be there, camera in hand, for that. I hope they do it.

[AndrewJM3D]

Photos taken by L.S.Edwards on flickr.com

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[Professor X]

Time for an alternative viewpoint about this development, by focusing on a similar one in Quebec City that accomplished things differently:

Reimagine Regent Park

Quebec City slum offers lessons in "strategic city" planning for neglected corners of T.O.

By Wayne Roberts

Quebec City – By sheer luck, our family stumbled on a little-known urban success story while looking for a place to crash recently in this walled city.

Right next to the famous central core, a monument to the Old World of the 1700s, the past snuggles up to the future in the former slums of Saint-Roch.

Here, generations of factory workers lived until their industries crashed in the 1980s and 90s.

My chance overnight stay gave me a glimpse of a secret formula for revitalization – one that our mayoral candidates should wrap their heads around quick, before Toronto’s neighbourhood makeovers begin to flop.

We got our first taste of community-making Quebec-style in the reception area of L’Autre Jardin Auberge (the Other Garden Inn).

The first thing we saw was a fair-trade gift store, Boutique EquiMonde, then a sign describing the place as Quebec’s first “social economy” hotel.

The auberge, started in 1996, is the money-making arm of a Quebec charity, Carrefour Tiers-Monde (Third World Meeting Place), devoted to education for children’s rights and the economic revival of the Saint-Roch area. All 28 rooms boast fair trade towels and rugs, eco-certified writing pads and nighttime reading material on sustainable tourism and responsible shopping. The breakfast nook features organic and fair trade foods.


We knew that at least we’d sleep and rise with a clear conscience.

But our early morning walk revealed that we were in the midst of more than a socially conscious rooming district.

The “other garden” referred to in the hotel’s name was a block away, where a campus of the University of Quebec abuts the commercial district.

The project that launched the renewal of this down-at-the-heels district in 1992 is now a meeting place where students, a few homeless people and other wanderers share a quiet green space dominated by a tiny waterfall.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Quebec’s “la vie en rose” approach to life, but where else in North America would you see an urban renewal project inspired by a public garden?

The nearby shopping area along St. Joseph Street features the usual suspects of areas undergoing gentrification. But cultural creatives would be comfortable here: there are artisanal brew pubs and ice cream shops, intimate coffee shops and restaurants repurposed from unlikely storefronts (one was a former garage), one-of-a-kind furniture and gift stores, an artist co-op, art school and bike store.

Food specialty shops are the urban equivalent of the pioneer species that burst forth after an area has been ravaged by a forest fire. But a unique set of additions turn this remade area into more than just a fun shopping experience and alternative-inspired hangout.

According to the New-York based Project for Public Spaces, such places need the lure of at least 10 different destinations to succeed. And by a combo of accident and design, this section of Quebec City – unlike many Toronto revitalization projects – achieves that.

A huge church, standard in Old Quebec, is at the centre of the street scene. A block away, a provincial office of the Ministry of Tourism has moved in (a great way of spiking the local economy, since employees need lunch and shopping spots).

Further down the street there’s a public library, a low-end eatery and a budget hotel. And nearby, post-revitalization, regional headquarters for a credit union and a trade union have made their home – again, more destinations, more buying power, more street traffic.

Since 2000, the entire street has been pedestrianized, given over to those who navigate the ’hood at a walker’s pace.

The question we have to ask our mayoral hopefuls is how they see the 10-destination rule operating in Toronto’s ongoing revitalization.

Will Regent Park’s redo rely solely on the hope that merchants will set up attractive stores, or will the city actively work to entice the public sector and voluntary institutions it influences to the locale?

The same can be asked of Leslieville, now growing out of its neglected status but still suffering from lack of jobs, a dearth of reasons to go there and a consequent lack of sidewalk traffic.

Should City Hall hive off a municipal service or two to energize Queen East’s shaky rebirth?

How could the city use its assets to boost Jane-Finch or Etobicoke north?

Let’s recall, of course, that cities in Quebec have senior levels of government working for them instead of against them. But what the Quebec example demonstrates is the benefits of cooperation between social, economy and public sector economies.

In Quebec’s distinctive culture, people from many walks of life and all levels of government work together. In French, it’s called “concertation” and it’s the reason that city seems to fit urban expert Jeb Brugmann’s definition of “strategic city.”

The opposite of this, as Brugmann says in his recent book, Welcome To The Urban Revolution, is the “opportunity city,” where a jumble of creatives can’t achieve a breakthrough to win support from other governments or the economic elite.

Brugmann, who lives in Toronto, doesn’t miss the chance to describe our town as the epitome of an opportunity city.

He might have been describing Quebec City when he wrote, “One of the most basic and least practised arts of city building today is the creative use of density – proximity and concentration – in the city’s built form.” And the key to this is leveraging the power of government and the broad public sector.

Maybe one mayoral candidate will learn this language before the fall election.

Reimagine Regent Park

Tearing Regent Up

Will tenants displaced by redevelopment get homes back? Activists don’t think so.

The following has been submitted by a group of academics and social activists.

Even the passing of the torch at City Hall hasn’t stopped politicians from falling over themselves to heap praise on the plan to remodel Regent Park and bring decent living conditions at long last. But Regent Park residents are already raising concerns about where they will be moved during the redevelopment, and whether they will continue to feel at home there afterwards.

The community consists of 2,087 households, mostly led by single moms and immigrants, most of whom are people of colour. They’ve come from all over to try to establish themselves, and their lives have been severely strained by the social and economic policies of the last decade. They have no real say over how their housing project is managed, and the physical state of their homes has been allowed to deteriorate, making everyday living difficult for many, unbearable for some.

To add insult to injury, Regent Park has been cast as a flawed city neighbourhood that needs to be saved from itself. The needs of Regent Park residents have been neglected, and their housing issues deserve to be addressed, but under what kind of plan?

The city and its housing company, the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC), plan to obliterate Regent Park. Discard every brick, pathway and garden. Dismantle homes, recreation centres, the swimming pool and hockey rink. Then invite private developers to rebuild it according to some Victorian fantasy.

The plan calls for housing density to be doubled from the current 2,087 units to 4,500. But there’s a catch: while the existing units, all publicly managed and subsidized, are to be replaced and offered to current residents first, the additional units are for the private market exclusively.

The plan’s success hinges on pitching the new neighbourhood as safe and attractive to condo developers and buyers. Beneath the spin of building a more livable community is a land grab. Consider the fact that Regent Park is 69 acres of public land sitting next to prime downtown real estate. Luxury lofts and car dealerships are already springing up on the perimeter of the park, and townhouses are on sale for as much as $500,000.

The Park’s state of severe disrepair is being used to justify the project, implying it’s the only way residents will finally get decent living conditions. The truth is that for years provincial governments – and recently the city – have neglected even basic maintenance. Now the politicians look to their friends in the private sector as partners to rebuild and create a "cleaned-up" and mixed community.

There’s no question the renovation of Regent Park’s housing is long overdue, but what does the privatization of the land and community really mean for residents and other tenants who live in the area now?

In Regent Park, folks who rely on social assistance and those who are among the working poor could well be displaced – most likely out of the centre of the city. Already, they will have to be relocated during the years of construction.

If TCHC doesn’t make the profit it anticipates by selling off or leasing the Park’s land to private developers – money it’s relying on to fund the reconstruction of the public apartments and townhouses – even more subsidized units could be cut from the plan.

As condo buyers and businesses move in during the initial phases of redevelopment, their influence will only grow in the neighbourhood and consolidate the power of nearby ratepayer groups already pushing to slash the ratio of subsidized units to just 25 per cent.

Further, as property values go up, other residents in affordable private units around Regent Park will soon find themselves priced out of the area. The result will be even more political pressure to get rid of services for low-income people, single moms, immigrants and refugees.

So much for achieving a social mix. The proud neighbourhood formerly known as Regent Park will feel a lot more like mono-cultural trendy new "South Rosedale," a name that’s already being kicked around.

Ultimately, such gentrification pushes low-income folks, people of colour and women-led families to the edges of the city.

There are alternatives. The new provincial government did pledge money for affordable rental housing, including non-profits and co-ops. Queen’s Park needs to be held firmly to this promise. And the city needs to understand that public land and public housing are worth much more to the heart and soul of the city than the money privatization can bring.

Why can’t Regent Park redevelopment become a solution to the desperate need for truly affordable housing in Toronto instead of feeding the ever-growing appetite of the private real estate market?

Signed by Debbie Douglas, Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants; Grace-Edward Galabuzi, assistant professor, Ryerson University; Kanishka Goonewardena, assistant professor, University of Toronto; datejie green, journalist; Jason Hackworth, assistant professor, University of Toronto; Punam Khosla, MES candidate, York University; Stefan Kipfer, assistant professor, York University; Ute Lehrer, assistant professor, Brock University; Karen Wirsig, journalist; Doug Young, PhD candidate, York University


Toronto Community Housing Corporation CEO Derek Ballantyne responds:

"The redevelopment is going to be done in phases. In any one particular phase we estimate displacement will (affect residents in) about 200 to 250 units. Starting in the not too distant future, we will begin holding vacant units in Regent Park so we can relocate people within Regent Park. We are seeking to purchase the surplus site at 51 Division, where we will be able to build some larger units relatively quickly. "We are also committed to finding housing in the areas adjacent to Regent Park so that people can maintain services where they are connected, where they have kids in school. Everybody who is displaced from Regent Park during the redevelopment has an opportunity to return to Regent Park.

"We are committed to rebuilding the rent-geared-to-income units, (but) we have to make a financial equation work to get us there, and that may mean seeking more funding from (private) outside sources for infrastructure rebuilding.

"We’re not Pollyanna-ish about what we think we can do. There are risk management strategies, but one management strategy is not reducing the (number of subsidized) units. The other commitment we have made is to create between 300 and 500 affordable-ownership units.

"We don’t want a non-stratified community, one that only has housing at the high end of the market or housing for lower-income households. Certainly, we understand that people would like to build a whole lot more affordable housing, but the first priority for us was to rebuild the geared-to-income housing to meet contemporary standards."

Tearing Regent up

[AndrewJM3D]

That artical was from 6 years ago, people have been placed in much better situations then the ghetto that was regeant Park.

[Professor X]

Originally Posted by AndrewJM3D

That artical was from 6 years ago, people have been placed in much better situations then the ghetto that was regeant Park.

Really? Where are these places, and are they better than what they were in before? And also, will the 'people' be able to go back to the new Regent Park? Or will they be told, 'No, we don't want your poor asses here anymore, you people drive down the value' and that's it?

Either way, what's going on here is shaping up to be a big, greedy land rush/forced relocation/mass eviction-no more, no less.

[Elnerico]

I know poeple who were moved from the 3 floor building demolished on dundas/parliament and moved to the buildings further east and have since been relocated back to the NEW building on dundas.

[Kensingtonian]

Originally Posted by Professor X

Really? Where are these places, and are they better than what they were in before? And also, will the 'people' be able to go back to the new Regent Park? Or will they be told, 'No, we don't want your poor asses here anymore, you people drive down the value' and that's it?

Either way, what's going on here is shaping up to be a big, greedy land rush/forced relocation/mass eviction-no more, no less.

From what I understand, everyone who is being relocated is guaranteed subsidized housing in the new Regent Park.

It remains to be seen whether the areas problems will be solved by new buildings, through streets, and unsubsidized rental units mixed in. But I guess that's what this experiment is going to tell us.

[AndrewJM3D]

Originally Posted by Professor X

Really? Where are these places, and are they better than what they were in before? And also, will the 'people' be able to go back to the new Regent Park? Or will they be told, 'No, we don't want your poor asses here anymore, you people drive down the value' and that's it?

Either way, what's going on here is shaping up to be a big, greedy land rush/forced relocation/mass eviction-no more, no less.

One is just a few blocks from me. A massive mixed income townhouse development that stretches from Dundas almost down to Queen on the east side of the Don Valley. Many others were moved to other regions of the city with mixed incomes. The failure of regeant park was that it was one large cut off area in the core with a high concentration of low income families. Each year crime was getting worse. ghettos fail, people who need assistance need to be in safe diverse areas, it provides a better chance for them to get ahead in life. When you pile all of societies less fortunate into one area it acts like a vacuum and is very hard for people to get out of.

I'm sorry you see it as only one sided. I suppose keeping it the way it was is what the people living there deserved? Change is rarely easy but in cases like Regent Park it was a necessity for the city as a whole.

By your reasoning I could just as easily say, "No we don't need to step in and help people out of this situation. They are poor and don't deserve to live somewhere better, safer, cleaner, other then Regent Park"
Perhaps before you jump the gun you might want to ask some of the people that have been located outside of regent park how they feel.

Also Regent Park is at the heart of a huge area of low income, by giving this area new life it provides hope for those that still live in the areas that surround it. Banks, rec centres, grocery stores have moved in. No the areas residents have amenities or will be getting them that other parts of the city take for granted.

[AndrewJM3D]

Originally Posted by Kensingtonian

From what I understand, everyone who is being relocated is guaranteed subsidized housing in the new Regent Park.

It remains to be seen whether the areas problems will be solved by new buildings, through streets, and unsubsidized rental units mixed in. But I guess that's what this experiment is going to tell us.

Jane Jacobs would argue that having a mixed income commuinity is the solution.

[Mollywood]

Another condo tower almost done. (One Park)

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The Regent Park Arts Centre & The Paintbox Condominium tower. (I think beside it)

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Toronto Christian Resource Centre & Apartments.

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[Mollywood]

Another video of the changing face of Regent Park. There is a shot of the inside of a condo, near the end of the video. Those condos are pretty small.

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And just to compare, here is a look at what's happening in Chicago, with Cabrini Green. (Their huge government housing revitalization project)

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[Mollywood]

Another update of the arts centre and aquatic centre, in Regent Park.

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[MysticMcGoo]

Mixed income communities just dont work in big American cities. It's a societal thing. Those new cabrini Green condos will eventually fall in price because nobody will want to live next to a bunch of public housing tenants in Chicago, one of the more violent American cities.

I think the concept of a mixed income Regent Park will be well recieved here, however.
I'm looking forward to the demolition of those high rises. I see that one has already been torn down. Was it imploded?

[Elnerico]

public housing or subsidized housing? I thought Regent is essential subsidized housing and the amount of subsidy you get depends on your income, ie "rent geared to income"