URBAN PLANNING: Toronto Community Housing Corporation

URBAN PLANNING: Toronto Community Housing Corporation

The redevelopment of Regent Park, Lawrence Heights and Alexandra Park provide opportunities to renew our affordable housing and create new mixed use neighbourhoods. Affordable housing is a vital part of a healthy city and the model we are using to provide it has changed.

When first built, projects like Regent Park were celebrated as examples of successful, affordable communities. Although well-intentioned, we have learned that their design had unintended consequences. The removal of city streets cut homes off from the surrounding city, the demolition of retail along major streets left residents with few options to buy the basic goods they needed, and the unused green space around the buildings isolated the apartments and made the park space unsafe. Additionally, local residents were not consulted during the planning process.

Regent Park is currently entering phase 3 of its redevelopment. The project shows how we can provide for affordable housing without compromising the livability of the neighbourhood. Learning from the mistakes of the past, we have reconnected the city streets that were removed from the neighbourhood in the 1940s while adding retail spaces for important basics, like grocery stores and banks. New community facilities have also been built, like the Regent Park Aquatic Centre and the Daniels’ Spectrum Arts Centre.

More importantly, the community was given the opportunity to shape the new Regent Park. Private developers were allowed to build market-priced units to fund the redevelopment, while at the same time they were required to replace all the affordable units that were demolished to make way for the new neighbourhood. Projects like Regent Park are exciting examples of how the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) works to provide clean, safe, well-maintained and affordable homes for residents.

Why does this model work? Because it assists in financing the replacement of the old housing stock, and creates stable communities where people from all income levels can enjoy the benefits of community infrastructure. The investment that this redevelopment attracts also provides employment and training opportunities for residents and creates opportunities for affordable home ownership.

To learn more about the exciting redevelopment work, visit www.torontohousing.ca/revitalization where a full list of projects can be found.

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