History King and Dufferin area located in the Parkdale neighbourhood surrounded by Dufferin on the East , south by Lake Ontario ,west by Roncesvalles avenue and north by the Canadian Pacific railway. This area used to be an industrial area with many factories and the main reason for this was the presence of the Canadian Pacific railway which was used and is still used for transportation of the manufactured goods. There were homes built around for families that worked in the factories. According to Tom Slater (2008) , by 1884 there were two main factories the Inglis and Massey-Harris(2). These companies during the world war two produced armaments and afterwards that most factories were demolished after factories started …show more content…
moving to the suburbs. As I was doing the neighbourhood profile research I saw some of the old factories that are still around. These building are being re-used for example both banks at king and dufferin (BMO and CIBC), are located in these old buildings and shoeless joe's restaurant is also located in one of the old factories. This area is going through gentrification it is one of the major change to note the moment you see the area. Liberty village is five minutes south and it has completely been gentrified apart from few old buildings used as lofts left behind probably for the area identity. King and Dufferin and the surrounding area are one of the most expensive areas to live in Toronto and the reason is the public transport and its close to the heart of downtown. There are so many condos being built ,leading to demolition of anything that may hinder the rapid development happening. Irwin Toys (now Lofts residentials in the 1990 ….these buildings have been taken down and condos have been built) (Image courtesy of city of Toronto Archives ) Socio-demographics, Census and Archival data of King and Dufferin (parkdale area) After the abandonment of the area Parkdale area became a neighbourhood for many low income residents and immigrants that moved to Canada due to many affordable rental apartments and great transit system directly to downtown.
According to statistics canada Toronto in 2001, around 70% of the buildings in the area are high rise rental apartments but during the industrial era (1940’s ) most were private homes. Immigrants from countries such as the Philippines , Vietnam , Tamil, Chinese , Tibetan , Caribbeans and Hungarian have occupied parkdale since the 1980’s to present leading to the construction of these apartments with high storeys as seen in the census done in 2001. With high number of immigrants in the area increasing,Parkdale area soon developed a bad reputation as a neighbourhood of poverty, crime , drugs and homelessness These reputations led to segregation of neighbourhoods where the rich separated themselves, this happened on the basis of both of income and ethnicity.These is currently mainly occupied by minorities.Looking at the statistics in 2001 the top ten ethnicity living in this area were all immigrants with 20% arriving in Canada between 1980-1991 and other 25% arriving by 1991-2000 according to Ontario immigration data. 51% of these immigrants were born outside canada. Since it cost more to live in nicer neighbourhoods most immigrants end up in areas like parkdale where rent is cheap and other …show more content…
amenities. This area has seen some gentrification again due to the inexpensive house properties and abandoned old factories. It went from having beautiful homes victorian style to this properties being rent out. In the long run these properties lost values and were taken down.In 1994 as read in the Toronto star in, the then mayor Barbara Hall introduced the Municipal deregulation of land uses in the King Street West area in contributed to the attraction of the area for developers and real estate speculators. Gentrification in the area has affected the lower income households, especially the immigrants and the seniors.It has led to relocation of the low income families and small businness likely to the inner suburbs of Toronto, where rent is still cheap and the poor public amenities such as public transportattion.
This is what has been happening around King and Dufferin ; the buying and renovating of these old building by wealthier individuals which in effect has improved property values but pushed out those who could not afford it .According to statistics Canada 2011, this area has lost much lower rent housing after the process of gentrification started without replacement of subsidized housing. Between 1996 to 2006 development increased by 126 %, mostly the building of condominium and during this period rent has increased by 93 % . We can see how the expensive condos being built are pushing out people who can't afford the rent; for example when I was doing the neighborhood profile It was easy to note the change. King and Dufferin area is no longer occupied by immigrants but young professionals and I can see the how gentrification is continuing to push all the way west side of king
street. It's also important to note that also according to the census done in 2011 , 70% of residents in this area are renters in which among them 30% earn a low income or living on social assistance. The average rent around King and dufferin is 1,026 dollars per month as per the census done in 2011 and it's affecting mostly the poor, immigrants and seniors. Looking at the 2011 census most households only have young adults, people above 75 years are below 5%, while 25-40 years ago this was not the case. Also the number of families were very low compared to young couples with no children. As gentrification is in the process in this area it has pushed many immigrants and low income residents to area where rent or home equities gains are low creating in the long run a marginalized neighbourhoods. King and dufferin has 62% of its residents with a post-secondary degree or diploma as seen in the census done in 2011. According to Toronto school district board parkdale junior and senior public schools are among the worst performing schools in the city.This is directly associated with the general surrounding of this students less successful adult role models and with peer groups who lead them into bunking off school and petty crime. An average household earning 52 ,305 according to census done in 2010. There is a 9.1 unemployment rate which is high this is tied directly to their migrant status or lack of labour market skills.The area had been abandoned by investors for couple decades hence the need of new investments and income redistribution but not displacements. (image courtesy of lifetime developers) this could be the future king and dufferin ,this proposal was made to the city of Toronto in 2015 and if approved it will have over 745 residents according to lifetime developers and their main target in the proposal are young professionals Conclusion. Developers have a master- plan of building a community for 7,000 to 10,000 residents creating King liberty according to the data collected by the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust (PNLT). The gentrification of the King and Dufferin area can be described as municipally managed. Real estate developers started to buying up the old properties in the King and Dufferin area and initiated the remake of this old-industrial district into a ‘great community attracting many young professionals . Since then,the process of gentrification has been going on and the area has developed from a distinctive and diverse community into an increasingly homogenized space that has been made safe, clean, and attractive for capital investment and new residents but pushing away residents who can not afford the area.
Robert Duffley, a high school senior at Trinity High School, had withdrawn from his sophomore year early in the first semester after falling ill. Anticipating problems with his eligibility to participate in high-school sports during his senior year under certain NHIAA rules, Duffley’s principal sought a ruling from the NHIAA granting such eligibility. The NHIAA decided to allow Duffley to participate only during the first semester of his senior year. No reason was given for denying Duffley eligibility for the second semester. After unsuccessful appeals to the NHIAA executive council, Duffley filed a petition in the Superior Court, seeking equitable and injunctive relief. Duffley alleged "violation of his due process rights” and that the defendant had acted “arbitrarily and capriciously” in arriving at its decision, which was “unreasonable and unlawful."
“Gentrification is a general term for the arrival of wealthier people in an existing urban district, a related increase in rents and property values, and changes in the district's character and culture.” (Grant) In layman’s terms, gentrification is when white people move to a black neighborhood for the sake of cheaper living, and in turn, raise up property values and force black neighbors to leave because of a higher price of living. Commonly, the government supports gentrification with the demolition of public housing in areas that are developing with more white neighbors. This is causing a decreasing amount of African Americans to be able to afford to live in the neighborhood as their homes are taken away from them, forcing them to relocate. Whilst gentrification normally has negative connotations, there are several people who believe gentrification brings about “an upward trend in property values in previously neglected neighborhoods.” (Jerzyk) On the other hand, this new trend in property value and business causes those...
Another noteworthy urban sociologist that’s invested significant research and time into gentrification is Saskia Sassen, among other topical analysis including globalization. “Gentrification was initially understood as the rehabilitation of decaying and low-income housing by middle-class outsiders in central cities. In the late 1970s a broader conceptualization of the process began to emerge, and by the early 1980s new scholarship had developed a far broader meaning of gentrification, linking it with processes of spatial, economic and social restructuring.” (Sassen 1991: 255). This account is an extract from an influential book that extended beyond the field of gentrification and summarizes its basis proficiently. In more recent and localized media, the release the documentary-film ‘In Jackson Heights’ portrayed the devastation that gentrification is causing as it plagues through Jackson Heights, Queens. One of the local businessmen interviewed is shop owner Don Tobon, stating "We live in a
There are many examples of cities reforming itself over time, one significant example is Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. More than a hundred years after the discovery of gold that drew thousands of migrants to Vancouver, the city has changed a lot, and so does one of its oldest community: Downtown Eastside. Began as a small town for workers that migrants frequently, after these workers moved away with all the money they have made, Downtown Eastside faced many hardships and changes. As a city, Vancouver gave much support to improve the area’s living quality and economics, known as a process called gentrification. But is this process really benefiting everyone living in Downtown Eastside? The answer is no. Gentrification towards DTES(Downtown Eastside) did not benefit the all the inhabitants of the area. Reasons are the new rent price of the area is much higher than before the gentrification, new businesses are not community-minded, and the old culture and lifestyle of the DTES is getting erased by the new residents.
Herbert Gans piece on the mass production of suburban styled homes like Levittown with its homes on the outskirts of the city and mixed land uses closer within the core “ analyzes the suburbs and makes it evident that they are not a utopia” no matter the societal segregation they represent (Herbert Gans). These areas have their burdens resulting in physical and social isolation, no access to transportation, the start of gender roles, and inadequate decision making. In comparison, Pleasantville was a society of segregation due to the land constraints and urban planning of the society. Its visible that there is an increase in segregation between the suburban population and inner city. The higher class living in the suburbs would remain in that area unless it was for work.
“gentrification as an ugly product of greed. Yet these perspectives miss the point. Gentrification is a byproduct of mankind 's continuing interest in advancing the notion that one group is more superior to another and worthy of capitalistic consumption with little regard to social consciousness. It is elitism of the utmost and exclusionary politics to the core. This has been a constant theme of mankind to take or deplete a space for personal gain. In other words, it 's very similar to the "great advantage" of European powers over Native Americans and westward expansion”(Wharton).
Many of these ethnic groups still reside where their relatives first lived when they arrived many years ago, whereas a majority of the ethnic groups have dispersed all over the Chicago land area, creating many culturally mixed neighborhoods. Ultimately, all of these ethnic groups found their rightful area in which they belong in Chicago. To this day, the areas in Chicago that the different ethnic immigrants moved to back in the 1920s are very much so the same. These immigrants have a deep impact on the development of neighborhoods in today’s society. Without the immigrants’ hard work and their ambition to establish a life for their families and their future, Chicago would not be as developed and defined as it is now.
Gentrification is defined as the process by which the wealthy or upper middle class uproot poorer individuals through the renovation and rebuilding of poor neighborhoods. Many long-term residents find themselves no longer able to afford to live in an area, where the rent and property values are increasing. Gentrification is a very controversial topic, revealing both the positive and negative aspects of the process. Some of the more desirable outcomes include reduced crime rate, increased economic activity, and the building of new infrastructures. However, it is debated whether the negatives overwhelm the positive. An increase in the number of evictions of low-income families, often racial minorities can lead to a decline of diversity
In discussions of Gentrification, one controversial issue has been with displacement. Gentrification is the process of renovating and repairing a house or district so that it complies to wealthier residents (Biro, 2007, p. 42). Displacement is a result of gentrification, and is a major issue for lower income families. Gentrification is causing lower-income residents to move out of their apartments because they’re being displaced by upper class residents who can afford high rent prices and more successful businesses. Throughout out the essay, I will discuss how gentrification affects lower income residents and how it results in displacement. Then I will follow on by discussing some positive and negative effects that take place because of Gentrification.
the cost of living in Toronto has come to a record high, we need to start doing something about it now before no one can afford to live at all. There are more than 30,000 women, men and children in the city's homeless shelters annually. Many of thousands more sleep on the streets or considered the “hidden homeless”. About 70,000 households are on Toronto’s social housing waiting list and on the brink of becoming homeless because of the skyrocketing prices of owning a home in Toronto. The Federal Government and the province have begun a slow reinvestment in housing in past years, the number of affordable housing being built now doesn’t even compare near the levels of the early 1980’s. Habitat for Humanity has been building houses for low income
Every area of a city is unique, and the process of gentrification may seem appealing in certain neighborhoods compared to others. It’s very difficult to choose sides because there are benefits and disadvantages of gentrifying an area. Fairmount appears to be almost completely gentrified, and saturated with an interesting culture. Demanding gentrification doesn’t seem necessary; the process should occur naturally as cities evolve, mindsets adapt, and new technologies arise. Time will tell how constructive gentrification truly
Lance Freeman tackles the issue of gentrification from the perspectives of residents in the gentrified neighborhood. He criticizes the literature for overlooking the experiences of the victims of gentrification. The author argues that people’s conceptions on the issue are somewhat misinformed in that most people consider it as completely deplorable, whereas in reality, it benefits the community by promoting businesses, different types of stores, and cleaner streets. These benefits are even acknowledged by many residents in the gentrified neighborhood. However, the author admits that gentrification indeed does harm. Although gentrification does not equate to displacement per se, it serves to benefit primarily homeowners and harm the poor. Additionally,
Gentrification is the keystone for the progression of the basic standards of living in urban environments. A prerequisite for the advancement of urban areas is an improvement of housing, dining, and general social services. One of the most revered and illustrious examples of gentrification in an urban setting is New York City. New York City’s gentrification projects are seen as a model for gentrification for not only America, but also the rest of the world. Gentrification in an urban setting is much more complex and has deeper ramifications than seen at face value. With changes in housing, modifications to the quality of life in the surrounding area must be considered as well. Constant lifestyle changes in a community can push out life-time
Gentrification is a highly important topic that has not only been occurring all over the United States, but especially closer than we may have thought. San Francisco is home to hundreds of thousands of people who have been a part of how amazing this city has become. San Francisco is one of the most visited places in the world with many of its famous landmarks, endless opportunities not only for daytime fun but also has an amazing nightlife that people cannot get enough of. People come for a great time and could not be done without the help of the people who have grown up to experience and love this city for what it truly is. The cost of living in such an important city has definitely had its affect of lower income San Francisco residents. For decades we have seen changes occurring in parts of San Francisco where minorities live. We have seen this in Chinatown, SOMA, Fillmore district, and especially the Mission district.
One major example of the help that was put into areas of Toronto is prominent is Regent Park, Toronto before gentrification. Regent Park showed that there are 65% apartments and houses that are market price but then there are 35% of the properties that are rent geared to income (Williams, 2009). Even though this was not a high percentage and was still beneficial to people who worked near the location of Regent Park in Toronto. Making it easier to access everyday necessities can make a lot of other expenses in life go down as well, when you do not have to worry about paying more than 30% of your income. Regent Park had a revitalization project to help turn this area from an area with high poverty rates to a nicer area by demolishing most of the public housing pushing the poorer people out of the area.