Cultural Landscape Research Paper
Ryerson University
Kensington Essay
The Outer Landscape of Culture (CMHR820 – Section 4A0)
By: Baldev Singh (500356521)
To: Professor Steven Chuang
June 12, 2013
Topic and Relation to Cultural Landscape
I chose the topic, “Mixed land uses – residential and commercial retail”. Mixed land uses are quite common in the City of Toronto. In the past, it has been looked as a viable option, but recently it has become an attractive option due to the benefits it brings. These benefits include a pedestrian-friendly environment, a bicycle-friendly environment, a tight-knit community, and a reduction of distances between housing to retail businesses.
This topic relates to cultural landscape because Kensington Market was intentionally designed …show more content…
by the “man” to serve a purpose of a neighborhood which includes a residential and commercial retail environment.
I chose this topic for Kensington because when I immediately arrived at the site, I noticed how physically close the residential area was to the marketplace. As I was walking down the market with my classmates, I couldn’t help but notice in one of the buildings, I saw someone residing in the second floor, and with the ground floor being used as a retail environment with one purpose, which was to serve the customers.
Background on Kensington Market
It all started when Greg Taylor Denison purchased an area of land from Queen Street to Bloor Street and from Augusta to Lippincott. Bellevue Square Park at the time was used as a parade ground for his troops when he was involved with the Upper Canada Rebellion. The land Mr. Denison purchased was then divided in 1850, and houses were eventually built to accommodate mostly Scottish and Irish immigrants in 1880.
Around 1910, Canada received Jewish immigrants from Europe, and as well as Italians. Both of these ethnic groups resided in Kensington Market. .This area later became known as the “Jewish Market” due to the large influx of immigrants from Europe. As more houses were built, the birth of the marketplace and shops began. People were getting creative in how they sold their various items, but eventually shops were settled in their front porches, and in their first floor of their houses.
After World War II, the Jewish population left the “Jewish Market” and settled in uptown. They were replaced by multiple ethnic groups. These groups include people from the Caribbean, Hungary, the Ukraine, East Asia, and young Americans who fled from the draft for the Vietnam War. In the last quarter of the 20th century, Kensington Market has been home to various immigrant groups that has experienced trouble in their homeland.
Topic’s Influence on the Site
This topic has a high influence on the Kensington Market site. Kensington Market represents exactly what a mixed land use is. Kensington Market has a residential area that includes housing and parks (Bellevue Square Park), and commercial retail environments such as restaurants, marketplace, clothing stores, and hair salons. There are single buildings around Kensington where the ground floor is still being used as a retail store, and the second floor is used as small apartment where people reside.
Impact on Changing the Site’s Cultural Landscape
If there are proposals for large retailers to build in a proposed site near Kensington, there will be huge uproars by local businesses.
This is what exactly happened four months ago. When proposals were submitted to build a fifteen-story condominium which included a Loblaws retail store, a petition was put online by the Kensington community to stop plans to build the grocery store.
I personally feel if there was a large retailer built near the community; it will ruin local businesses, and alter Kensington’s culture that has been so evident in the past decades. This is how exactly the Kensington community felt when a petition was put online, “Historically this has been a place of acceptance of people not accepted elsewhere, a place for small business to flourish, a place where shopping means visiting with neighbours. Torontonians cherish and want to keep that culture.” (Friends of Kensington, 2014).Landscapes Affecting the Human Lived …show more content…
Experience
Kensington Market is very much a symbolic landscape. So much so, it is a national historic site of Canada. The landscape portrays a tight-knit community in which their neighbours are also retail owners. That’s because there are still single buildings that are being used a retail store and a small apartment at the same time. The ground floor is used as a retail store during the day, and the second floor is being used as a home in the night. With the landscape being unique in its own sense, Kensington is being viewed as a tourist attraction. It has attracted tourists from all over Canada, and as well as tourist from various countries.
Personal Experience and Reflection on the Inner/Outer Landscape
Both the inner landscape and outer landscape both co-exist well with each other.
When I was at Bellevue Square Park, there were so many people interacting with each other, and having a good time. People were having picnics, a guy was playing his guitar to couple of his friends, many were playing football, children was at the playground having a good time. That just shows how a tight-knit community Kensington really is, and if I’m being honest, it shocked me. I was expecting them to be at home on the computer because people are so dependent on the use technology, but it wasn’t at Kensington. They were having a good time interacting at the Bellevue Square Park. That just reminded me of a time when I was growing up, and how everyone was outside playing various sports, and interacting with
others.
Future of Kensington Market
Even though policies are in place to protect the uniqueness of Kensington, I can’t help but fear for the future of Kensington Market. When a new fifteen-story condominium was announced at College Street with a Loblaws on the second floor, local businesses at Kensington felt threaten, and rightly so. A condominium with a retail environment sounds exactly what Kensington Market is, a residential area with multiple retail stores.
In the future, I expect more and more well-known commercial retail stores to open up near Kensington Market. This will evidently impact many independent-run businesses, and eventually their business can’t compete due to the low prices these retail stores are proposing. I suspect that, people that live around Kensington, shop at the market because of the close proximity of these retail stores to their residential area. If a Wal-Mart was to be built near Kensington Market, local businesses will not be able to withstand the impact, due to multiple needs Wal-Mart can serve to its consumers. With that, local businesses will eventually move out as they can’t compete, and Kensington Market can look forward to their market being commercialized.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I chose the topic, “Mixed land uses – residential and commercial retail”. I chose it because I was interested in the impact of having a residential area and commercial area being so close to each other. Residential areas like Bellevue Square Park being so close to retail environments such as restaurants, marketplace, and clothing stores. I then spoke about how a large retailer near the community will ruin local businesses, and put them out of business. I also then spoke about even though Kensington Market is a national historic site; it is also a very tight-knit community. This was evident when I saw people interacting at the Bellevue Square Park. I then concluded in which I spoke about the future of Kensington, and how I fear that the market will be commercialized in the future.
Bibliography
Friends of Kensington. (2014). Loblaws, please don 't wreck Kensington Market! Meet with the Kensington Market community!
Retrieved from https://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/loblaws-please-don-t-wreck-kensington-marketNursall, K. (January, 28, 2014). Loblaws set to open beside Kensington Market
Retrieved from http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/01/28/loblaws_set_to_open_beside_kensington_market.htmlKensington Market National Historic Site of Canada
Retrieved from http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=14463&pid=0(May 22,2014). Construction on The College from Tribute Communities is in full swing
Retrieved from http://news.buzzbuzzhome.com/2014/05/construction-the-college.html
Kensington Essay
The Outer Landscape of Culture (CMHR820 – Section 4A0)
By: Baldev Singh (500356521)
To: Professor Steven Chuang
June 12, 2013
Topic and Relation to Cultural Landscape
I chose the topic, “Mixed land uses – residential and commercial retail”. Mixed land uses are quite common in the City of Toronto. In the past, it has been looked as a viable option, but recently it has become an attractive option due to the benefits it brings. These benefits include a pedestrian-friendly environment, a bicycle-friendly environment, a tight-knit community, and a reduction of distances between housing to retail businesses.
This topic relates to cultural landscape because Kensington Market was intentionally designed …show more content…
by the “man” to serve a purpose of a neighborhood which includes a residential and commercial retail environment.
I chose this topic for Kensington because when I immediately arrived at the site, I noticed how physically close the residential area was to the marketplace. As I was walking down the market with my classmates, I couldn’t help but notice in one of the buildings, I saw someone residing in the second floor, and with the ground floor being used as a retail environment with one purpose, which was to serve the customers.
Background on Kensington Market
It all started when Greg Taylor Denison purchased an area of land from Queen Street to Bloor Street and from Augusta to Lippincott. Bellevue Square Park at the time was used as a parade ground for his troops when he was involved with the Upper Canada Rebellion. The land Mr. Denison purchased was then divided in 1850, and houses were eventually built to accommodate mostly Scottish and Irish immigrants in 1880.
Around 1910, Canada received Jewish immigrants from Europe, and as well as Italians. Both of these ethnic groups resided in Kensington Market. .This area later became known as the “Jewish Market” due to the large influx of immigrants from Europe. As more houses were built, the birth of the marketplace and shops began. People were getting creative in how they sold their various items, but eventually shops were settled in their front porches, and in their first floor of their houses.
After World War II, the Jewish population left the “Jewish Market” and settled in uptown. They were replaced by multiple ethnic groups. These groups include people from the Caribbean, Hungary, the Ukraine, East Asia, and young Americans who fled from the draft for the Vietnam War. In the last quarter of the 20th century, Kensington Market has been home to various immigrant groups that has experienced trouble in their homeland.
Topic’s Influence on the Site
This topic has a high influence on the Kensington Market site. Kensington Market represents exactly what a mixed land use is. Kensington Market has a residential area that includes housing and parks (Bellevue Square Park), and commercial retail environments such as restaurants, marketplace, clothing stores, and hair salons. There are single buildings around Kensington where the ground floor is still being used as a retail store, and the second floor is used as small apartment where people reside.
Impact on Changing the Site’s Cultural Landscape
If there are proposals for large retailers to build in a proposed site near Kensington, there will be huge uproars by local businesses.
This is what exactly happened four months ago. When proposals were submitted to build a fifteen-story condominium which included a Loblaws retail store, a petition was put online by the Kensington community to stop plans to build the grocery store.
I personally feel if there was a large retailer built near the community; it will ruin local businesses, and alter Kensington’s culture that has been so evident in the past decades. This is how exactly the Kensington community felt when a petition was put online, “Historically this has been a place of acceptance of people not accepted elsewhere, a place for small business to flourish, a place where shopping means visiting with neighbours. Torontonians cherish and want to keep that culture.” (Friends of Kensington, 2014).Landscapes Affecting the Human Lived …show more content…
Experience
Kensington Market is very much a symbolic landscape. So much so, it is a national historic site of Canada. The landscape portrays a tight-knit community in which their neighbours are also retail owners. That’s because there are still single buildings that are being used a retail store and a small apartment at the same time. The ground floor is used as a retail store during the day, and the second floor is being used as a home in the night. With the landscape being unique in its own sense, Kensington is being viewed as a tourist attraction. It has attracted tourists from all over Canada, and as well as tourist from various countries.
Personal Experience and Reflection on the Inner/Outer Landscape
Both the inner landscape and outer landscape both co-exist well with each other.
When I was at Bellevue Square Park, there were so many people interacting with each other, and having a good time. People were having picnics, a guy was playing his guitar to couple of his friends, many were playing football, children was at the playground having a good time. That just shows how a tight-knit community Kensington really is, and if I’m being honest, it shocked me. I was expecting them to be at home on the computer because people are so dependent on the use technology, but it wasn’t at Kensington. They were having a good time interacting at the Bellevue Square Park. That just reminded me of a time when I was growing up, and how everyone was outside playing various sports, and interacting with
others.
Future of Kensington Market
Even though policies are in place to protect the uniqueness of Kensington, I can’t help but fear for the future of Kensington Market. When a new fifteen-story condominium was announced at College Street with a Loblaws on the second floor, local businesses at Kensington felt threaten, and rightly so. A condominium with a retail environment sounds exactly what Kensington Market is, a residential area with multiple retail stores.
In the future, I expect more and more well-known commercial retail stores to open up near Kensington Market. This will evidently impact many independent-run businesses, and eventually their business can’t compete due to the low prices these retail stores are proposing. I suspect that, people that live around Kensington, shop at the market because of the close proximity of these retail stores to their residential area. If a Wal-Mart was to be built near Kensington Market, local businesses will not be able to withstand the impact, due to multiple needs Wal-Mart can serve to its consumers. With that, local businesses will eventually move out as they can’t compete, and Kensington Market can look forward to their market being commercialized.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I chose the topic, “Mixed land uses – residential and commercial retail”. I chose it because I was interested in the impact of having a residential area and commercial area being so close to each other. Residential areas like Bellevue Square Park being so close to retail environments such as restaurants, marketplace, and clothing stores. I then spoke about how a large retailer near the community will ruin local businesses, and put them out of business. I also then spoke about even though Kensington Market is a national historic site; it is also a very tight-knit community. This was evident when I saw people interacting at the Bellevue Square Park. I then concluded in which I spoke about the future of Kensington, and how I fear that the market will be commercialized in the future.
Bibliography
Friends of Kensington. (2014). Loblaws, please don 't wreck Kensington Market! Meet with the Kensington Market community!
Retrieved from https://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/loblaws-please-don-t-wreck-kensington-marketNursall, K. (January, 28, 2014). Loblaws set to open beside Kensington Market
Retrieved from http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/01/28/loblaws_set_to_open_beside_kensington_market.htmlKensington Market National Historic Site of Canada
Retrieved from http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=14463&pid=0(May 22,2014). Construction on The College from Tribute Communities is in full swing
Retrieved from http://news.buzzbuzzhome.com/2014/05/construction-the-college.html