By Shauna Brail and John Lorinc
Journal of Planning Education and Research
July 2023
Professor Shauna Brail and journalist John Lorinc examine the transformation of Toronto’s Regent Park from a community comprised exclusively of public housing to a mixed income neighbourhood. The article particularly examines the complex and changing development agreements as redevelopment progresses, highlighting the state’s entrepreneurial efforts and the dynamic nature of urban planning and policy.
Brail and Lorinc first introduce the literature regarding the history of social housing production; the evolution of entrepreneurial governance and the emergence of state-led policies relying on market-based models to support the building of social housing; and efforts by grassroots community organizations to share in the prospective benefits of leveraging real estate values for social good.
The focus then shifts to Regent Park, examining efforts to financialize public housing as a form of entrepreneurial governance and exploring the rising community expectations directed at deriving public good through public redevelopment initiatives.
The article concludes with a discussion of the ways in which the experience of Regent Park’s redevelopment can inform debates about the role(s) played by municipal governments and agencies; the tensions that arise when pursuing financialized redevelopment models to address economic, commercial, and social priorities; and the challenges that these concerns ultimately pose for urban planning and policymaking.
