Tower Renewal & Regent Park Final

Regent Park was a very good example of tower neighbourhoods in Toronto. It was built in
1949, and is now home to thousands of newcomers from diverse ethnic backgrounds. This
diversity can be seen with the number of languages spoken in the neighbourhood, where over 60
different first languages are spoken. Poverty was a big problem in Regent Park. Almost
everyone was living in poverty and 73% of its adults were underemployed (CRC, 2015). The design
and layout of the buildings was also another crucial issue. Looking from the air, the buildings
looked neatly arranged, but from the street level, it was certainly not pedestrian-friendly. The
buildings were built facing inward and away from the streets, supposedly to promote safety, but
has ended up creating an isolated and crime-ridden neighbourhood. The open
space was also underused because it was mostly surface parking lots. These parking lots do not
serve this community because only a very small number of the population own a vehicle.
People rely on public transit. However, public transit was not accessible because they
were no routes passing through this neighbourhood. This urban design created opportunities for
crime and gangs to develop, and it created a bad reputation due to its very serious drugs and gang
violence problems.
Aerial view of Regent Park before the revitalization,
Torontohousing.ca
However, even with the negative social
situation, there was still a strong community of
residents who looked after each other. Tired of
their situation, the residents advocated for the
revitalization of their neighbourhood in
1995. In 2002, the City of Toronto created the
Toronto Community Housing Corporation
(TCHC) as the largest social housing provider in
Canada, and second in North America. In 2003,
the City with the TCHC made a plan to
redevelop and revitalize Regent Park over the
next 15 years.
Demolition of all 2083 housing units began in 2005. In 2006, the City of Toronto selected the
Daniels Corporation, a private developer, to serve as the role developer of Regent Park. However,
Daniels is still subject to City of Toronto plans, as the city serves as Regent Park's master planner.
Regent Park's revitalization introduced a mixed-used, mixed-income community that erased the
stigma of poverty. The demolished buildings were replaced with newly built, energy efficient
subsidized townhouses and mid-rise buildings that resemble market-value houses to change public
perception of what public housing should look like. The revitalization also allowed for the change in
street configuration and land-use zoning. Due to the Residential Apartment zoning bylaw,
commercial activities were not allowed in the neighbourhood, but the revitalization of Regent Park
allowed for the change in street configuration and land-use zoning. Now there are businesses such
a Fresco, Tim Hortons, Royal Bank of Canada, Main Drug Mart and Rogers in the neighbourhood.
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