where now?
One approach for this project was to take a look at my discourse in the built environment and architecture and its progression through time locally – in Toronto. The question that arose through this reflection was: What are the extensions of power in Toronto?
- Statues
- Condos and other types of architectural manifestations
And the cause? Cultural Cleansing and “Urbicide”
So then became the thesis – space as an expression of power
Gentrification regulates the ability of freedom in movement and end up enforcing the removal of specific individuals from their homes – a tool for segregation and exclusion.
It also follows a modernist and capitalist approach to land use, where the deregulation of rent prices and the push for more saturated units changes the city life for everyone – people lose their homes, the city loses part of its cultural heritage, and it is transformed into bland, lifeless, and expensive spaces in which only a select few can afford.
These new buildings are part of a beautification process by the government because all signs point to a much - needed visual transformation – to make it more appealing to the “higher class”. This the motion of a social mixing of classes proposed by the government, where different people can come together and exchange ideas and ways of life – almost too ideal – however, this was taken in a completely opposite way. The mingling was almost destructive and was far from effective in its implementation and became a kind of social sanitizing.
Regent Park is a community that recently underwent this change, with the building of condos, new community centers, and other retail stores. It was mainly a social housing neighborhood and many projects were started to try to increase the quality of life in this area but this was a neglected community and the construction of highways enforced that – there was an expectation of thoroughfare traffic in the community however that never happened and was essentially cut off from the liveliness of the downtown core.
There is a revitalization project that is still taking place today and it still includes the same principles of social mixing with the construction of “modern” looking grocery stores and other programs, and they are still overlooking the main principle that needs to be addressed – the inclusion of low income communities into the city life and not replacing them with peoples with greater socioeconomic means. Rents in the area have been steadily rising and the new housing projects are not being catered to these individuals.. we need to take a stand against the developers and make the city affordable for all.
A special mention to Declan Aplin, whose help and efforts aided with the completion of this project.
