Regent Park
Regent Park
Olivia Falcone
University of Waterloo
October 30th, 2013
Summary
There are many social housing projects in Canada. The first ever to exist is Regent Park, which was established in the 1950s in Downtown Toronto. Unfortunately, Regent Park was unwell planned. It was a valuable real estate that incorporated the Garden City design concept as well as the concept of Towers in the Park. The social housing community was off the grid, inward facing and with time, Regent Park was deteriorated. The buildings and roads were all in bad condition. Its poor design made it the first known location where crack cocaine was sold in the mid 1980s. The location and design of Regent Park was a perfect area for drug dealers, because it was almost like a “no mans land,” and the police often wouldn’t be able to get through in time. Modernist design, with low density and open ares, is to blame for this. This public housing community became stigmatized; it held a reputation for drugs and crime. However, Regent Park does have some good benefits: it has a highly diverse population and a large young population. Luckily, there is now a 10-15 year redevelopment plan through a public-private partnership, with mixed income. The plan is to redesign the community in the new urbanist style, with sustainability. Ridding of the previous poor design, the new layout of the community will return to the original street grid and will have more density. Redevelopment plans not only include buildings and infrastructure, but social issues as well. Recently, some revenue taken from the construction of the Trump towers went towards building new pool facilities for the Regent Park neighbourhood. As well, the redevelopment of Regent Park will allow for a better sense of community and safety, and it will have better accessibility to the city. During this revitalization project, residents and families who were previously residing in Regent Park were relocated until the project is completed. It
Olivia Falcone
University of Waterloo
October 30th, 2013
Summary
There are many social housing projects in Canada. The first ever to exist is Regent Park, which was established in the 1950s in Downtown Toronto. Unfortunately, Regent Park was unwell planned. It was a valuable real estate that incorporated the Garden City design concept as well as the concept of Towers in the Park. The social housing community was off the grid, inward facing and with time, Regent Park was deteriorated. The buildings and roads were all in bad condition. Its poor design made it the first known location where crack cocaine was sold in the mid 1980s. The location and design of Regent Park was a perfect area for drug dealers, because it was almost like a “no mans land,” and the police often wouldn’t be able to get through in time. Modernist design, with low density and open ares, is to blame for this. This public housing community became stigmatized; it held a reputation for drugs and crime. However, Regent Park does have some good benefits: it has a highly diverse population and a large young population. Luckily, there is now a 10-15 year redevelopment plan through a public-private partnership, with mixed income. The plan is to redesign the community in the new urbanist style, with sustainability. Ridding of the previous poor design, the new layout of the community will return to the original street grid and will have more density. Redevelopment plans not only include buildings and infrastructure, but social issues as well. Recently, some revenue taken from the construction of the Trump towers went towards building new pool facilities for the Regent Park neighbourhood. As well, the redevelopment of Regent Park will allow for a better sense of community and safety, and it will have better accessibility to the city. During this revitalization project, residents and families who were previously residing in Regent Park were relocated until the project is completed. It