Regent Park Revitalization

For those not from these parts, Regent Park is a housing project on the east side of Toronto, built about 50 years ago. The development is about 70 acres, with no interior streets - the place was to be a so-called "garden city", where "buildings sit in park-like settings, streets are removed and the comm unity is set apart from the fabric of the city". There were successful only in creating isolation.

Regent Park is being demolished in stages, to be replaced by a new development. Here is the vision:
"The vision is one of vibrancy, diversity and sustainability—in building types, designs and heights, incomes, uses, community services, recreation spaces, learning facilities and activities. In short, a healthy community shaped by the residents of this community. The vision sees the community infrastructure renewed alongside the housing infrastructure. Redevelopment offers a unique opportunity to take a new and inclusive approach to building a vibrant, healthy community and to creating a place where poverty can be reduced through community effort. The vision for Regent Park recognizes that a healthy sustainable community is one where residents and community agencies shape and participate in learning opportunities, have access to economic development initiatives, and are able to creatively address issues of immigrant settlement and individual health."

I saw a picture the other day, of Mayor Miller operating a big machine, symbolically beginning the demo job. I really hope to see an improved community in the near future, a better place for the residents to live and raise their families.