Gentrification & Urban Redevelopment

[LAz]

What communities and areas in Toronto are undergoing Gentrification & Urban Redevelopment? What communities have already undergone this?



Just wondering, 'cause I have not lived in Toronto for some time, but I see it quite a bit here in Chicago.

 

[Eug]

What communities and areas in Toronto are undergoing Gentrification & Urban Redevelopment? What communities have already undergone this?



Just wondering, 'cause I have not lived in Toronto for some time, but I see it quite a bit here in Chicago.

That is a huge question.

FWIW, re: urban redevelopment:

http://www.toronto.ca/planning/index.htm

It seems the city is really pushing rezoning of some of the underdeveloped retail/commercial areas/streets into mixed use with residential, to increase the population and tax base.

If you're looking to move back a better question might be what you're looking for, what your budget is, and where you'll be working.

 

[egotrippin]

I'd wager that it's safe to say that almost everywhere is undergoing some form of gentrification or urban redevelopment in the city. Some places are being rejuvenated, others are becoming more and more upscale and trendy (see: Distillery and much of the east end of downtown). Many poorly developed areas built up in later years are becoming redeveloped to become more urban, even Scarborough and Etobicoke are growing their own little condo cities. I'd say the largest example of full out redevelopment is Regent Park, and from what I've heard (I think on here) Alexandra Park is due for a similar redevelopment treatment. Depending on how long you've been gone from Toronto, CityPlace may be an absolute shock to see as well. For now though, seeing two shiny new aA towers poking out from Dundas and Parliament is one of the more surreal sites right now. It especially looks fascinating from Shuter and Sumach, where you can glimpse the new tower between two of the older "commie blocks" in the area.

So in short, just think of any area of the city, and it's probably seeing some sort of noticeable change.

 

[LAz]

I'm in chicago, and this place is divided up into 80 er so community areas, and some 300 suburbs. Anyways, over the years there has been some extreme segregation here... you literally cross a line and you're out of one community and into a completely different one. Urban redevelopment in particular has caused lots of displacement... one example is lincoln park, where there were once puerto-ricans... they were gentrified out, and more recently it has been super-gentrified with multimillionaires coming in and pushing the former gentrifies out. Some other prominant places that are or are undergoing gentrification are west town, humbolt park, wicker park, uptown, the south loop, and other neighborhoods... so I was hoping that I could find out which places are undergoing this in Toronto, and if they have any interesting stories attached to them.


I found a cool map...
http://www.urbancentre.utoronto.ca/pdfs/gtuo/top10/6-Tor_GENTRIFICATION_1961-01_map.pdf
Tell me, which of those neighborhoods there are like known for gentrification, where are the places that make one say "oh yeah, that place has been totally revamped"...? So I guess I'm asking, where has there been really vivid redevelopment/displacement? Is there any super-gentrification?

 

[urbandreamer]

Areas I can think of that are being renewed:

the Junction (young white families and artists and hispanics replacing immigrant Asian/Portuguese/Maltese peoples)

Dundas West/Portugal Village/Brockton/Beaconsfield (mostly white people taking over Portuguese neighbourhood)

Roncevalles (Waspy/white/rich Polish ppl taking over from working class Polish ppl)

College St West of Little Italy proper (Ossington to Lansdowne) (businesses geared towards wealthy young hipsters (aka majority white, trust fund kid types and their slightly older with kids types) pushing out older Italian/Portuguese/whatever families retiring/moving to the 905.

Kensington Market (Hispanic/Jewish/white business taking over vacant storefronts and/or formerly Asian businesses.)

Leslieville (wealthier white ppl taking over from the "white trash")

Parkdale (diverse rental apartments still remain, increasingly more Muslims moving in, but new business geared towards younger/whiter ppl--aka, art galleries, clothing boutiques, bars; restaurants mixed but mostly appealing to wealthier clientele.)

Ossington (Mostly white business ppl taking over formerly dumpy/vacant Asian or Portuguese storefronts; however, clientele is thankfully fairly diverse.)

West Queen West (Bathurst to Dufferin) (Diverse group of businesses pushed out former Ukrainian/Slovak/Eastern European businesses, minus Prague Deli that changed with the times....)

King St West (Spadina to Bathurst) (Diverse group of bars taking over former edge of the garment district.)

Bathurst St from Bloor to Dupont (slowly becoming a northern "Annex" strip)

Wallace/Perth/Lansdowne (artist-driven revival of a "slum")

Bloor West Village: still appeals to majority Russian/Ukrainians, but increasingly businesses catering to wealthy Wasps taking over former delis etc.

St Clair West/Regal Heights: (Christie to Dufferin: boutiques/organic shops/cafes catering to waspy types.)

Next to gentrify:

Lansdowne-Ossington Avenue on Bloor (already happening)

Hallam, Dovercourt Rd area?

Downtown eastside?

Harbourfront?

Yonge St south of Bloor?

By gentrify, I mean new and younger generation of small business people taking over storefronts, type of people patronizing local businesses, type of people buying resale homes in a neighbourhood...which south of Eglinton, usually means wealthier/hipper/whiter people....

 

[Urban Shocker]

For now though, seeing two shiny new aA towers poking out from Dundas and Parliament is one of the more surreal sites right now. It especially looks fascinating from Shuter and Sumach, where you can glimpse the new tower between two of the older "commie blocks" in the area.

It's also straight ahead of you when you're in the Distillery - a fine Clewespotting location - looking north on Trinity Street.

There's a lot of fixin'-up of the petit bourgeois rather than the artistic kind going on in the former East York armpit north of the Danny, too, with second floors being added to modest little bungalows and stucco and pretentious faux stylin' being slathered on.

 

[Eug]

There's a lot of fixin'-up of the petit bourgeois rather than the artistic kind going on in the former East York armpit north of the Danny, too, with second floors being added to modest little bungalows and stucco and pretentious faux stylin' being slathered on.

Personally, I like the stucco faux look if it's done well. For some of the homes it certainly looks a lot better than the existing old stained brick walls, esp. when contrasted with a new unstained brick wall for the new second floor. Furthermore, it's not as pretentious looking as the faux stone facades you see so often in places like Ledbury Park.

Anyways, it's a heluvalot cheaper to add a second floor like that than to bulldoze the house and start over. Furthermore, doing it that way means there is no GST to pay.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Yes, the bones of these humble little buildings are quite sturdy - regardless of what they're reimagined as. The East York armpit's about ten years behind such places as Leaside, in the transformative process, but it's gathering momentum.

 

[Torontovibe]

The Lakeshore & Bathurst area (Fort York) is undergoing a huge transformation with condos and a new park on the way. Basically, a whole new neighbourhood is springing up, hopefully with a bit of retail.

York Street is going through huge changes and Harbourfront will be greatly improved.

Leslieville and Riverside are also becoming a lot more trendy and interesting. Donmount is completely redeveloped. Soon the West Donlands and East Bayfront will transform the east side, into something unrecognizable.

Toronto is transforming in all directions, from downtown to the burbs. The density is going way up. It's hard to think of neighbourhoods in Toronto that aren't seeing changes. All the old stock government housing is being torn down and rebuilt into mixed income neighbourhoods and it's going to make Toronto a much better place for everyone.

 

[Eug]

All the old stock government housing is being torn down and rebuilt into mixed income neighbourhoods

What do you mean by "old stock government housing"? Are you talking about the wartime bungalows?

Cuz most of the subsidized apt. housing seems to be staying intact, despite the fact so many of those buildings are eyesores.

 

[Riverdale Rink Rat]

Old Stock Gov't Housing

What do you mean by "old stock government housing"? Are you talking about the wartime bungalows?

Cuz most of the subsidized apt. housing seems to be staying intact, despite the fact so many of those buildings are eyesores.

In the east-side nabe, it's the OSGH(tm) that's coming down. Don Mount Court was bulldozed and replaced with a new mid-size apartment building for TCHC and a mix of affordable housing flats and private townhouses. They're now putting sewers underneath the old site and it's to be a good-sized park when planted. The whole project has been very well done (although I don't know if the buildings are solid or not, they look like they're being built up to snuff).

Regent Park is the biggest OSGH in Toronto, and it's being razed and replaced and, so far, the results are hopeful. If TCHC has the balls to keep the crack dealers out, then it might work out. Here's hoping.

 

[Eug]

If TCHC has the balls to keep the crack dealers out, then it might work out. Here's hoping.

From what I've seen, they don't. For example, according to a local city councillor, there is a group of of subsidized buildings with a known (to police) drug dealernear the Beach that has operated out of there for years. The TCHC won't evict him because he have some other medical problems as well.

As far as I'm concerned, it should be one-strike and you're out, for such activities.

 

[Glen]

Toronto is transforming in all directions, from downtown to the burbs. The density is going way up.

Toronto's population growth is anemic.

 

[urbandreamer]

^I would agree. What's really happening is lotsa single ppl and dinks are moving downtown, wealthier 40-somethings with 1 or 2 kids are buying denser older homes north of Eglinton and building monster homes, and south of Eglinton older stock rooming houses (and formerly large immigrant familiy homes) are being renovated to become less dense for 35+ whites with 1 kid families.

Toronto becoming denser? Nah, maybe Mississauga and the 'burbs are though.

(So really, the only area benefiting from slightly increased density is the Bloor-Lakeshore-Dufferin-Parliament area.)

 

[Eug]

To be fair, Toronto is trying to develop the "avenues" at least.

Also, large areas of downtown used to have no residential at all, and are now becoming filled with condos.