Regent Park

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Regent Park Boundaries

Regent Park in Winter

Alternate uses: Regent's Park (disambiguation)

Regent Park is a lower income neighbourhood located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Formerly the centre of the Cabbagetown neighbourhood, it is bounded by Gerrard Street East to the north, River Street to the east, Shuter Street to the south, and Parliament Street to the west. It is an extremely culturally diverse neighbourhood, with more than half of its population being immigrants. It is home to approximately 7,500 people.[1] Over 50% of the population living in Regent Park are children 18 years and younger (compared to a Toronto-wide average of 30%).

The average income for Regent Park residents is approximately half the average for other Torontonians. A majority of families in Regent Park are classified as low-income, with 68% of the population living below Statistics Canada's Low-Income Cut-Off Rate in one of its census tracts, and 76% in the other (compared to a Toronto-wide average of just over 20%). Poverty is a reality for seven in ten Regent Park families.

Regent Park's residential dwellings are entirely social housing, and cover all of the 69 acres (280,000 m²) which comprise the community. Regent Park is Canada's oldest social housing project, having been built in the late 1940s. (The Toronto slum neighbourhood then known as Cabbagetown was razed in the process of creating Regent Park; the nickname Cabbagetown is now applied to the regentrified, upscale area north of the housing project.)

1 Redevelopment
- 1.1 Evolution from a transitional community to a residential community
2 Regent Park community groups and service agencies
3 Political representation and administration of Regent Park
4 TCHC Tenant Participation System in Regent Park
5 Regent Park public services
6 Social, economic, and political issues in Regent Park
- 6.1 Police and residents relations
- 6.2 Regent Park, “underclass”, and major issues
7 Regent Park as a social experiment
8 References
9 External links
10 See also

[edit] Redevelopment

More than a half-century old, the Regent Park projects were aging rapidly and were in need of costly repairs. The city government developed a plan to demolish and rebuild Regent Park over the next ten years, with the first phase having started Fall 2005. The addition of market units on site will double the number of units in Regent Park. Former street patterns will be restored and housing will be designed to reflect that of adjacent neighbourhoods (including Cabbagetown and Corktown), in order to end Regent Park's physical isolation from the rest of the city.

In support of the Clean and Beautiful City campaign by Mayor David Miller, and to further the goal of elevating architecture in all Toronto Community Housing Corporation projects, an architectural competition was held for the design of the first apartment building in the complex. Toronto-based architectsAlliance was selected winner of the competition, with a Neo-Modern glass point tower set on top of a red-brick podium structure in their proposal.

As one of Toronto's poorest neighbourhoods, Regent Park has been stigmatized as a bastion of immeasurable poverty and despair. However, evidence has proven the contrary; there is a strong sense of community that pervades Regent Park and its diversity is reflected in the city's diversity. Certainly, the revitalization process will modernize Regent Park, however it remains to be seen whether or not it will effectively reduce the neighbourhood's poverty and stigma.

The redevelopment has been criticized by housing activists such as John Sewell for possibly reducing the number of rent-geared-to-income units located within Regent Park, and for allegedly concentrating these units in buildings that will be exclusively low-income. Despite these allegations, the City approval of the redevelopment is conditional on the replacement of all of the rent-geared-to-income units that existed in Regent Park prior to the commencement of redevelopment. A small number of the rent-geared-to-income units, however, can be rebuilt in other locations in the east Downtown, outside of Regent Park itself.

[edit] Evolution from a transitional community to a residential community

Regent Park was originally designed as a transitional community. It was to house people experiencing financial difficulties, for whatever reason. Most residents were on social assistance, and working residents paid rent proportional to their income. In the last two decades Regent Park has also become an immigrant settlement community, as immigrants facing difficulties in settling in Canada come to live here. Thus, the community is always viewed, administrated, and existed as a transitional community. This contributed to the concentration of a socially marginalized population, and various social ills of the Regent Park. In particular, a transitional community did not generate the awareness, interest, and commitment of its residents to invest in the development and sustainability of a higher quality of life.

The revitalization has provided an opportunity for the community to transform it self into a residential community. The mixed income housing model is aimed towards this end. However, critics allege that the revitalization maintains segregation and separate treatment of the poor, as it allegedly keeps the units housing the assisted-rent and the market-rent units separate. Also, critics claim that revitalization will eventually phase out the poor population that presently reside in Regent Park.

[edit] Regent Park community groups and service agencies

Regent Park Community Services

Various community groups have been highly active in promoting a positive sense of community and community representation, and in pursuing a higher quality of life. Regent Park Neighborhood Initiative (RPNI) is one such organization, which mission is “to provide leadership in building and sustaining a healthy and vibrant community.” Another such organization is Regent Park Focus [2], which “uses media technology as a tool to employ young people, enhance resiliency, bridge information gaps, increase civic engagement, promote health and effect positive change.” Pathways to Education is a program of the Regent Park Community Health Centre that promotes “individual health and the health of the community by addressing the two principal social determinants of health: education and income.” Moreover, there are various cultural associations such as Regent Park Tamil Cultural Association, which aim to promote intra and inter cultural development and exchange, and to foster a healthier community.

List of community groups:

Regent Park Community Health Centre[3]
Regent Park Community Centre
ArtHeart Community Art Centre
Dreamers - Peace Garden [4]
The Umar Bin Khattab Mosque [5]
Parents For Better Beginnings Team [6]
Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre [7]
W.A.T.C.H (Words, Action, Thought, Character and Heart) - UofT Community Service Club working to transform RP
Centre Communautaire Africains Francophones

[edit] Political representation and administration of Regent Park

Canada consists of 308 electoral districts, and Regent Park is located in the Toronto Centre – Rosedale riding. For city administration, each district is divided into two city wards. Regent Park is located in the Toronto Centre ward.

**Regent Park Political Representation**
People Representatives in Government	Member of Toronto City Council	Pam McConnell, Toronto Police Services Board - Vice Chair
	Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP)	George Smitherman, Minster of Health
	Member of (Federal) Parliament (MP)	Bill Graham, Leader of the Opposition
Candidates for Canadian federal election, 2006	Bill Graham	Liberal Party of Canada
	Lewis Reford	Conservative Party of Canada
	Michael Shapcott	New Democratic Party
	Johan Boyden	Communist Party of Canada
	Chris Tindal	Green Party of Canada
	Phillip Fernandez	Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada
	Liz White	Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada
Active Non - Electoral Political Groups	Ontario Coalition Against Poverty	Issues: Poverty, Homelessness, Police Violence

[edit] TCHC Tenant Participation System in Regent Park

In 2002 Toronto City Councilors recognized the need for increased tenant participation in the day to day management of housing. As a result, TCHC initiated the Tenant Participation System (TPS).[8] The first election for TPS was held in 2003, and a subsequent election was held in 2006. The tenant representatives were volunteers representing a constant number of adjacent units. Overall the formal mechanism set up to give tenants voice in the day to day management of the Regent Park had a positive impact. For instance, lighting in Regent Park has improved as a direct result of the TPS representatives requests. However, the mechanism developed for the whole of Toronto’s various housing communities need to adopt to local conditions in order to meet the needs of the Regent Park residents more effectively.

[edit] Regent Park public services

[edit] Transportation

Regent Park is served by the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) streetcars 501, 505, 506 and the 65 bus. The streetcar 501 Queen (TTC) goes through Queen Street West, 505 Dundas (TTC) through Dundas Street, 506 Carlton (TTC) through Gerrard Street East, and the bus 65 through the Parliament Street. The TTC's streetcars also provide quick access to the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line.

Don Valley Parkway is a major highway that is near to Regent Park.

[edit] Libraries

Regent Park is served by two close by public libraries. The Toronto Public Library – Parliament branch [9] is located at Gerrard and Parliament junction, and houses a special local history archive about Regent Park. The other nearby branch is the Riverdale branch [10], and it is located at Gerrard and Broadview junction.

[edit] Emergency services

The Toronto Fire Services station 325 [11] is located in Regent Park at 475 Dundas Street. The Toronto Police Service – 51 Division [12] is responsible for the community. It was once located in the community at 30 Regent Street, and it has now moved to near by 51 Parliament Street. For medical emergencies Toronto Emergency Medical Services (EMS)[13] is to be contacted.

[edit] Housing

Majority of the buildings in Regent Park are public housing. Toronto Community Housing Corporation is responsible for providing and maintaining the public housing units. Regent Park is the Community Housing Unit 27 managed by TCHC, and its manager is Ade Davies. [14]

[edit] Child care

Regent Park has a very young population. The Regent Park Child Care Centre [15] cares for infants and toddlers.

[edit] Electricity services and street lighting

Hydro One is responsible for generating and distributing electric power, and in providing various "electricity services" for Ontario, thus Regent Park. The local street light technical issues are handled by Toronto Hydro Street Lighting Inc. [16]

[edit] Social, economic, and political issues in Regent Park

Regent Park is home to an immigrant and marginalized population. It experiences a higher rate of violence, crime, drug abuse, and social ills compared to many other Toronto communities. Also, the community is characterized by a high rate of poverty and unemployment.

[edit] Police and residents relations

As late as 2001 the relation between some residents and police was confrontational[17]. The Toronto Police Service – 51 Division [18] is responsible for the community. It was once located in the community at 30 Regent Street, and it has now moved to near by 51 Parliament Street.

Regent Park is a high crime prone area, and police face tremendous challenges in providing protection and security to the community. Recently, the community and police relations have greatly improved. Police have adopted a community oriented, preventive, and collaborate approach, and indicate that they are more effective in providing security to the community.

[edit] Regent Park, “underclass”, and major issues

The elements used to characterize Regent Park such as drugs, crime, high unemployment, and poverty are mostly the same used to characterize the “underclass”. Social scientists have tried to define the “underclass” more carefully, and they recognize a number of major issues involved in the debate. Those same issues also arise in discussing social issues in Regent Park. Six key issues are quoted below from the book “The Underclass Debate”^[1] edited by Michael B. Katz.

The extent to which individuals are responsible for their own poverty, or the balance between individual agency and structural forces.
The role of culture (defined as the influence of set of attitudes, values, and group behaviors) on perpetuating poverty and dependence.
The contribution of family structure, organization, and modes of child rearing to developing and reproducing social pathologies.
The influence of ecology, or environment, on behavior (put another way, how neighborhood characteristics contribute to crime, welfare dependence, low school attendance, and premarital pregnancy)
The capacity of institutions to counteract the influence of family and neighborhood, and why institutions so often fail to fulfill their missions
Why poverty persists despite public policy and whether policy has, in fact, made matters worse.

[edit] Regent Park as a social experiment

Regent Park is Canada's first and the largest social housing project or a social engineering project. Thus, it has attracted the attention of various social science scholars and media. Scholar and activist Dr. Sean Purdy has written his thesis based on his research about Regent Park. His paper "Ripped Off" By the System: Housing Policy, Poverty, and Territorial Stigmatization in Regent Park Housing Project, 1951–1991[19] provides valuable insights about Regent Park.

The recent Regent Park Revitalization Plan is also viewed and undertaken as a pilot Canadian social re engineering effort. The federal and local governments view the plan as means to establish best practices and bench marks. Although, such enthusiasm adds to the momentum of the revitalization plan, the Regent Park history warrants caution as not to repeat or reproduce the shortcomings of its past.

In addition, Norman Rowen, Program Manager of The Pathways to Education Program, and researcher Kevin Gosine have published research that documents the success of Pathways in improving academic achievement and reducing the high school dropout rate among Regent Park youth.

[edit] List of academic literature

Purdy, Sean. "Framing Regent Park: the National Film Board of Canada and the Construction of Outcast Spaces in the Inner City, 1953 and 1994,” Media, Culture and Society (UK), Vol.27, no.4 (July 2005).

Purdy, Sean. “By the People, For the People: Tenant Organizing in Toronto’s Regent Park Housing Project in the 1960s and 1970s,” Journal of Urban History, Vol.30, no.4 (May 2004), 519-548.

Rowen, Norman and Kevin Gosine. "Support that Matters: A Community-Based Response to the Challenge of Promoting Academic Achievement Among Impoverished Youth," in B.J. McMahon and D.E. Armstrong (Eds), Inclusion in Urban Educational Environments: Addressing Issues of Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing (2006), 277-299.