Ethnic Identity, Place Marketing, and Gentrification in ... - Cities Centre

18 Ethnic Identity, Place Marketing, and Gentrification in TorontoAverage rents and house values have remained relatively stable at 75 to 100 percent of CMAaverages during the past 30 years, except for census tract 113, where these figures are approximately120 percent of the CMA. More anecdotal evidence suggests that pockets of developmentare beginning to emerge. Recently, a chUrch (St. David's Presbyterian Church on10 Harvie Avenue) was converted to condominiums, and the nearby Chelsea Lofts developmenthas attracted attention in the local real estate press (Laporte, 2004).But while Corso Italia may be exhibiting early signs of gentrification, other signs indicate thatsuch activity may be short-lived. Despite planned improvements to the existing streetcar linealong St. Clair,4 the neighbourhood remains more isolated than "traditional" gentrifiedneighbourhoods closer to the city, and its "feel" remains more working-class Italian thanyoung urban professional.Gerrard India BazaarLocated just east of the downtown core, Gerrard India Bazaar is the smallest of the fourneighbourhoods discussed here, occupying several blocks east of Woodfield Avenue alongGerrard Street East (see Figure 5). It is also the neighbourhood, among those discussed,where the dissonance between commercial and residential identity is most stark.The short commercial strip, and its accompanying BIA did not, like the other threeneighbourhoods, develop initially as a traditional ethnic corridor meeting the needs of nearbyresidents. Rather, the area and its BIA developed almost by accident, when in 1972, GianNaz decided to open a movie theatre on Gerrard Street to show Hindi films (Hutsul, 2004).The location was chosen not because of potential interest from the surrounding community,but more pragmatically because rents were extremely low at the time. The Naaz Theatreopened on Gerrard Street East, because it was the least expensive facility that Mr. Naz couldfind.But despite the lack of a culturally similar resident community, the theatre was immediatelysuccessful in drawing South Asians from around the GT A. Other entrepreneurs noticed theinterest and began opening businesses nearby to cater to the theatre crowd - sweet shops,clothing stores, Indian grocery stores. In 1982, a BIA was formed to promote this area, primarilyto South Asians living in the GTA, elsewhere in Ontario, and even the United States.The BIA has sponsored physical improvements, and at least three major street festivals, notto mention strategiC marketing for the neighbourhood (Gerrard India Bazaar BIA, 2004a).4 The City is planning to set aside lanes for streetcars along St. Clair between Yonge and Keele (the currentend of the line). Some in Corso Italia welcome the change, while many other have complained that it will increasecongestion and decrease the availability of parking (McGran, 2004).Centre for Urban and Community Studies. University of Toronto. www.urbancentre.utoronto.ca