68-455: 43°39′42″N 79°21′54″W / 43.66167°N 79.36500°W / 43.66167; -79.36500 Regent Park is a neighbourhood located in downtown Toronto , Ontario built in the late 1940s as a public housing project managed by Toronto Community Housing . It sits on what used to be a significant part of the Cabbagetown neighbourhood and is bounded by Gerrard Street East to
136-513: A Toronto Star writer wrote that "Cabbagetown has become a downhill ride and if you're on way up, you don't dare stay there for long unless you live in Regent Park." The construction of new housing projects was halted in the 1970s. In Don Mount this effort was led by Karl Jaffary , who was elected to city council in the 1969 municipal election along with a group of like-minded councillors who opposed sweeping urban renewal plans. John Sewell led
204-457: A constant number of adjacent units. Overall the formal mechanism set up to give tenants voice in the day-to-day management of the Regent Park had a positive impact. For instance, lighting in Regent Park has improved as a direct result of the TPS representatives requests. However, the mechanism developed for the whole of Toronto's various housing communities need to adopt to local conditions in order to meet
272-467: A higher rate of violence, crime, drug abuse and social ills compared to many other Toronto communities. Regent Park has a reputation for poverty in Toronto. In 2016, median income in part of Regent Park was $ 42,369, an increase from $ 22,268 in 2011. The neighbourhood's Census Tract (5350030.00) has experienced a significant shift in income structure between the 2006 Census, and 2011 National Household Survey. In
340-641: A reminder of an earlier, and rougher, past. In recent years, some businesses from the nearby "gay village" of Church and Wellesley , have relocated to the area, attracted by cheaper commercial rents. Despite gentrification, residents from public housing projects and affluent home owners mingle at a discount supermarket and a community medical clinic. Panhandling and drug-dealing are part of the urban landscape; so are gourmet shops, upscale boutiques and arts festivals, book launches and wine-tastings at local restaurants. Paradoxically, The Gerrard and Parliament neighbourhood, located near Dundas and Sherbourne Streets, has
408-415: A resident and local businessman, is recognized by the community as having been the driving force behind the restoration of many of the area’s beautiful and unique Victorian houses. As Kent was a gay real estate agent, gay men and some lesbians made up the earliest gentrifying groups of Cabbagetown. They are still a significant part of the population today, and the area is considered queer friendly. In 1983
476-406: A result has been undergoing Manhattanization with the construction of new office towers, hotels and condos. As of 2016, the population of downtown Toronto was 237,698 people with 503,575 jobs located within the area. The population density was 143 people per hectare, and the job density was 303 jobs per hectare. The Royal Conservatory of Music is a non-profit music education institution that
544-597: A school in Regent Park. The following TDSB elementary schools operated in Regent Park: Regent Park is served by several Toronto Transit Commission streetcar routes : 501 , 505 , 506 ; and by the 65 Parliament bus route . The streetcars provide quick access to the Yonge subway line , while the 65 Parliament bus provides access to the Bloor-Danforth line . The Don Valley Parkway is a major highway that runs to
612-524: A state of disrepair. Changes to the Canadian immigration system in the 1960s led to an influx of multicultural and multiethnic immigrants into the country. Some of these people, including immigrants from the Caribbean, China and Southeast Asia, settled in Regent Park in the 1960s and 1970s, changing the ethnic and racial composition of the neighbourhood. Meanwhile, the area continued to have a reputation of crime. In
680-637: Is St. Lawrence Hall, St. James' Cathedral , St. Michael's Cathedral , St. Paul's Basilica , the Enoch Turner School House, the Bank of Upper Canada, Le Royal Meridien King Edward Hotel, and the Gooderham Building . On Saturday there is a farmers' market. Other historical districts in downtown Toronto include Cabbagetown , Corktown , the Distillery District , and Old Town . To the west of
748-508: Is a program of the Regent Park Community Health Centre that promotes "individual health and the health of the community by addressing the two principal social determinants of health: education and income." Moreover, there are various cultural associations such as Regent Park Tamil Cultural Association, which aim to promote intra and inter cultural development and exchange and to foster a healthier community. The majority of
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#1732855648199816-405: Is adjacent to the downtown area, and the much larger Toronto Pearson International Airport located 27 km to the northwest. 43°39′9.01″N 79°23′0.81″W / 43.6525028°N 79.3835583°W / 43.6525028; -79.3835583 Cabbagetown, Toronto Cabbagetown is a neighbourhood in central Toronto , Ontario , Canada. Administratively, it is defined as part of
884-460: Is also viewed and undertaken as a pilot Canadian social re-engineering effort. The federal and local governments view the plan as means to establish best practices and bench marks. Although such enthusiasm adds to the momentum of the revitalization plan, the Regent Park history warrants caution as not to repeat or reproduce the shortcomings of its past. Keep regents park clean/Users/zinzoro/Desktop/PHOTO ON 25-01-2020 AT 11.19 2.jpeg The neighbourhood
952-704: Is an arts school whose main building is located in Grange Park. The Université de l'Ontario français is a French-language postsecondary institution situated in East Bayfront. Toronto Metropolitan University and the University of Toronto are research universities , with the former located in the Garden District and the latter's St. George campus situated in the Discovery District. Apart from its St. George campus,
1020-529: Is divided into two city wards . Regent Park is located in Ward 28. In 2002, Toronto City Councillors recognized the need for increased tenant participation in the day-to-day management of housing. As a result, Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) initiated the Tenant Participation System (TPS). The first election for TPS was held in 2003. The tenant representatives were volunteers representing
1088-504: Is headquartered in downtown Toronto. Four different public school boards provide primary and secondary education for the City of Toronto, as well as the downtown area. Two Toronto-based school boards provide instruction in the English language , the secular Toronto District School Board , and the separate Toronto Catholic District School Board . The other two Toronto-based school boards,
1156-489: Is home to many furniture stores, interior design studios and contemporary casual dining options . The CF Toronto Eaton Centre , a large, multilevel enclosed shopping mall and office complex that spans several blocks and houses 330 stores, is the city's top tourist attraction with over one million visitors weekly. Other indoor shopping malls include College Park , the Tenor , Aura , Yorkville Village , Atrium on Bay , Village by
1224-690: Is located at the corner of Gerrard and Parliament streets and houses a special local history archive about Regent Park. The other nearby library is the Riverdale branch located at the junction of Gerrard Street and Broadview Avenue . In addition, the Children's Book Bank is a small nonprofit that provides free books and literacy support, located at 350 Berkeley Street (at Gerrard). The Regent Park Child Care Centre may be found at St Bartholomew's Church , which cares for infants and toddlers. There are four Toronto-based school boards that provides public education for
1292-519: Is the city's major intermodal transportation hub, providing access not only to local and regional public transit , but also to inter-city rail services like Via Rail . In addition to surface-level pedestrian sidewalks, much of downtown Toronto is also connected through the PATH Underground , an extensive network of underground pedestrian tunnels , skyways , and at-grade walkways. Nearby airports include Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport , which
1360-495: Is the intersection of the city's subway lines and is one of the busiest intersections in the city. At the intersection of Avenue Road and Bloor Street is the Royal Ontario Museum , the largest museum in the city, with a diverse anthropological and natural history collection. The Harbourfront area to the south was formerly an industrial and railway lands area. Since the 1970s, it has seen extensive redevelopment, including
1428-481: Is the setting for the play Kim's Convenience . Downtown Toronto Downtown Toronto is the main city centre of Toronto , Ontario, Canada. Located entirely within the district of Old Toronto , it is approximately 16.6 square kilometres in area, bounded by Bloor Street to the northeast and Dupont Street to the northwest, Lake Ontario to the south, the Don Valley to the east, and Bathurst Street to
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#17328556481991496-732: Is the tallest building in Canada at a height of 298 metres (978 feet). The CN Tower , once the tallest free-standing structure in the world, remains the tallest such structure in the Americas, standing at 553.33 metres (1,815 ft., 5 inches). Other notable buildings include Scotia Plaza , TD Centre , Commerce Court , the Royal Bank Plaza , The Bay 's flagship store, and the Fairmont Royal York Hotel . Since 2007, urban consolidation has been centred in downtown Toronto and as
1564-594: The Globe and Mail wrote, Cabbagetown is probably the epitome of successful labelling. The core of the area—generally defined as being bounded by Parliament, Wellesley and Dundas Streets and the Don Valley —was once Toronto's skid row. Today, about a decade after the area was invaded by young professionals, speculators and real estate agents, there are still a few derelicts around to give the area colour. The houses, meanwhile, sell for upward of $ 200,000. 35 years after that article
1632-639: The Princess of Wales Theatre . The area is now the site of Roy Thomson Hall and the Canadian Broadcasting Centre . The Yorkville area, to the north, north of Bloor Street and the Mink Mile , has more than 700 designer boutiques, spas, restaurants, hotels, and world-class galleries. It is a former village in its own right (prior to 1883) and since the early 1970s has developed into an up-scale shopping district. The intersection of Bloor and Yonge Streets
1700-483: The Seneca Polytechnic . Downtown Toronto is home to the flagship department stores of The Bay , Saks Fifth Avenue and Holt Renfrew . The traditional shopping districts concentrated on Queen Street West and King Street East have seen recent growth to encompass the area surrounding Yonge–Dundas Square . The Old Town portion of the downtown, stretching from St. Lawrence Market to the Distillery District
1768-509: The 1960s. The area of St. Lawrence to the east of the financial district is one of the oldest areas of Toronto. It features heritage buildings, theatres, music, dining and many pubs. It is a community of distinct downtown neighbourhoods including the site of the original Town of York, which was Toronto's first neighbourhood, dating back to 1793. The area boasts one of the largest concentrations of 19th-century buildings in Ontario. Of particular note
1836-434: The 1970s, Toronto experienced major economic growth and surpassed Montreal to become the largest city in Canada. Many international and domestic businesses relocated to Toronto and created massive new skyscrapers downtown. All of Canada's Big Five banks constructed skyscrapers beginning in the late 1960s up until the early 1990s. Today downtown Toronto contains dozens of notable skyscrapers. The area's First Canadian Place
1904-428: The 2006 Census, 61.1% of residents earned less than $ 20,000 annually. However, by 2011, such low-income residents only constituted 40.4% of residents. By 2016, that number dropped further to 35.2% of residents. The number of those earning more than $ 60,000 has tripled from in those years, representing 25.6% of the population in 2011. Although a significant portion of residents making less than $ 20,000, since revitalization,
1972-445: The 2016 census, Europeans had become the largest group, while the presence of visible minority groups declined. The neighbourhood in 2016 was 28% European, 25.7% South Asian, 13.6% Black, 12.5% Chinese and 3.7% Southeast Asian. In Regent Park, the median household income in 2016 was $ 42,369, although there was a decrease in this income range as compared to 2011. This is lower than the median household income for Toronto at $ 65,829. As well,
2040-717: The Cabbagetown-South St. Jamestown neighbourhood. It largely features semi-detached Victorian houses and is recognized as "the largest continuous area of preserved Victorian housing in all of North America", according to the Cabbagetown Preservation Association . Cabbagetown's name derives from the Irish immigrants who moved to the neighbourhood beginning in the late 1840s, said to have been so poor that they grew cabbage in their front yards. Canadian writer Hugh Garner 's novel, Cabbagetown , depicted life in
2108-534: The Clean and Beautiful City campaign by former Toronto Mayor David Miller and to further the goal of renewing architecture in all Toronto Community Housing projects, an architectural competition was held for the design of the first apartment building in the complex. Toronto-based architectsAlliance was selected winner of the competition, with a modern glass point tower set on top of a red-brick podium structure in their proposal. While phase two had not yet been completed,
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2176-606: The Grange, Manulife Centre and the PATH underground city network , the largest underground shopping complex in the world. Emerging retail destinations include Mirvish Village , the Well and the renovated St. Lawrence Market North . Yonge Street , a major arterial route in the city, begins at the northern shore of the Toronto Harbour and runs through downtown, continuing north all the way to
2244-420: The Regent Park neighbourhood has a higher percentage of households without income (5.9%) compared to the City of Toronto average (4.7%) and 44.4% of households are at or below the poverty level, compared to 20.2% for the city average. More than a half-century old, the Regent Park projects were aging rapidly and in need of costly repairs. The city government developed a plan to demolish and rebuild Regent Park over
2312-538: The Toronto Police Museum and Discovery Centre. The Financial District , centred on the intersection of Bay Street and King Street is the centre of Canada's financial industry . It contains the Toronto Stock Exchange , which is the largest in Canada and tenth in the world by market capitalization as of 2021. The construction of skyscrapers in downtown Toronto had started to rapidly increase since
2380-645: The University of Toronto also operates two satellite campuses outside the downtown core in Mississauga and Scarborough . Colleges based in downtown Toronto include George Brown College , Toronto Film School , Trebas Institute , and the Randolph College for the Performing Arts . Four other colleges that are based outside of downtown Toronto, but operate satellite branches in the downtown core include Collège Boréal , Georgian College , Humber College and
2448-616: The area, as well as substandard housing, led to plans for affordable housing during the Second World War. These plans came to fruition soon after the end of the war, when the Regent Park North public housing project was approved in 1947. Families began to move into Regent Park North in 1949, but construction continued into the 1950s. The last families moved into Regent Park North in 1957. In subsequent years, more public housing units were built in Toronto, including Regent Park South, which
2516-587: The awareness, interest and commitment of its residents to invest in the development and sustainability of a higher quality of life. Various community groups, including the Salvation Army, have been highly active in promoting a positive sense of community and community representation, and in pursuing a higher quality of life. The CRC, which has operated since 1965, offers healthy meals, free clothing, showers and laundry facilities, housing supports, drop-in, life skills and food skills programs. Additionally, they provide
2584-645: The building of the Rogers Centre stadium, numerous condominiums and the Harbourfront Centre waterfront revitalization. The area to the east of Yonge Street is still in transition, with the conversion of industrial lands to mixed residential and commercial uses planned. Among the important government headquarters in downtown Toronto include the Ontario Legislature , and the Toronto City Hall . In
2652-429: The buildings in Regent Park are owned and operated by Toronto Community Housing , the public low-income housing administrator in Toronto. Regent Park is the "Community Housing Unit 27" managed by TCHC and its manager is Ade Davies. Most units are low rise apartment units bounded by Gerrard Street , Parliament Street , Dundas Street and River Street. The units are three-storey brick buildings with central balconies. On
2720-429: The city of Barrie, Ontario . Other notable streets include Dundas , Bloor , Queen , King , and University . The Toronto Transit Commission administers the Toronto area's public transportation system, including buses , streetcar , and subways . The regional public transportation service, GO Transit , also provides bus and commuter train service to downtown Toronto from its hub, Union Station . Union Station
2788-549: The city, including the neighbourhood of Regent Park. Two of the four Toronto-based school boards teach primarily in English , the secular Toronto District School Board (TDSB), and the separate Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB). The institutions operated by the other two Toronto-based school boards, the secular Conseil scolaire Viamonde , and separate Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir , teach primarily in French . However, neither French-language school board operates
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2856-614: The cleanliness. The area has also seen the opening of the Dundas Square public square, a public space for holding performances and art displays. The area includes several live theatres, a movie complex at Dundas Square and the historic Massey Hall . Historical sites and landmarks include the Arts & Letter Club, the Church of the Holy Trinity, Mackenzie House, Maple Leaf Gardens, Old City Hall, and
2924-549: The downtown is located along Yonge Street from Queen Street to College Street. There is a large cluster of retail centres and shops in the area, including the Toronto Eaton Centre indoor mall. There are an estimated 600 retail stores, 150 bars and restaurants, and 7 hotels. In recent years the area has been experiencing a renaissance as the Business Improvement Area (BIA) has brought in new retail and improved
2992-544: The early 2000s, a new redevelopment plan for Regent Park was implemented. The plan in question called for Regent Park to be redeveloped as a mixed-income neighbourhood. Because of the area's proximity to the downtown core, it is potentially high value real estate. The neighbourhood's ethnic composition has changed between 2001 and 2016. In 2001, the neighbourhood was 22% Black , 21.8% South Asian , 19.5% European , 14.1% Chinese , 10.6% Southeast Asian and 3.4% Latin American . By
3060-579: The east of the neighbourhood. Regent Park has attracted the attention of various social science scholars and media. Scholar and activist Dr. Sean Purdy has written his thesis based on his research about Regent Park. His paper "Ripped Off" By the System: Housing Policy, Poverty and Territorial Stigmatization in Regent Park Housing Project, 1951–1991 provides valuable insights about Regent Park. The recent Regent Park Revitalization Plan
3128-452: The effort to preserve Trefann Court , which covered the southern section of the original Cabbagetown. A bylaw was approved in the 1970s to ban any building higher than four storeys, in reaction to the high density high-rises being built in neighbouring St. James Town . Cabbagetown was gentrified by affluent professionals, beginning in the 1970s. Many residents restored small Victorian row houses and became community activists. Darrell Kent,
3196-631: The financial district is the Entertainment District . It is home to hundreds of restaurants, nightclubs, sporting facilities, boutiques, hotels, attractions, and live theatre. The district was formerly an industrial area and was redeveloped for entertainment purposes in the early 1980s, becoming a major centre for entertainment. The redevelopment started with the Mirvish family refurbishing the Royal Alexandra Theatre and their construction of
3264-557: The lake shore to the south in Corktown . Brick Victorian-style houses were built throughout the area. The name Cabbagetown purportedly came from stories of new Macedonian and Irish immigrants digging up their front lawns and planting cabbage. In this era the Cabbagetown name most often applied to the area south of Gerrard Street, with the part to the north still being called Don Vale. It was a working-class neighbourhood, with approximately 50% of
3332-468: The largest concentration of homeless shelters and drop-in centres in Canada. The area is also distinguished by a large number of rooming houses and other forms of low-income housing. As part of a project called "Cabbagetown People," historical plaques have been placed on noteworthy homes. A map of the locations has been erected in Riverdale Park West, and an index of the addresses, with the names of
3400-415: The needs of the Regent Park residents more effectively. The Toronto Fire Services station 325 is Regent Park's fire station, located at 475 Dundas Street East. The Toronto Police Service – 51 Division is responsible for the community. It was located in the community at 30 Regent Street, but has since been moved to nearby 51 Parliament Street. As late as 2001, the relation between some residents and police
3468-655: The neighbourhood during the Great Depression . The area today known as Cabbagetown was first known as the village of Don Vale, just outside Toronto. Before the 1850s it consisted of farmland dotted with cottages and vegetable plots. It grew up in the 1840s around the Winchester Street Bridge , which before the construction of the Prince Edward Viaduct was the main northern bridge over the Don River. This
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#17328556481993536-405: The neighbourhood has become home to a growing number of high-earning residents. This can be explained by a number of potential causes. Either the historical residents have experienced increasing incomes, low-income residents can no longer afford housing in the neighbourhood and are experiencing displacement, or (most likely) owing to the nearly doubling in total residential units in the neighbourhood,
3604-494: The neighbourhood, they were not maintained. It became known as one of Toronto's largest slums and much of the original Cabbagetown was razed in the late 1940s to make room for the Regent Park housing project. A new immigrant influx also led to the beginning of ethnic diversity in the neighbourhood. The remaining section to the north, then still known as Don Vale, was also slated to be cleared and replaced by housing projects. In 1964
3672-405: The next many years, with the first phase having started in the fall of 2005. The addition of market units on site will double the number of units in Regent Park. Former street patterns will be restored and housing will be designed to reflect that of adjacent neighbourhoods (including Cabbagetown and Corktown ) in order to end Regent Park's physical isolation from the rest of the city. In support of
3740-401: The north, River Street to the east, Shuter Street to the south and Parliament Street to the west. Regent Park's residential dwellings, prior to the ongoing redevelopment, were entirely social housing and covered all of the 69 acres (280,000 m) which comprise the community. The original neighbourhood was razed in the process of creating Regent Park. The nickname Cabbagetown is now applied to
3808-527: The only not-for-profit social housing in Regent Park. Every year, they host Taste of Regent Park in the Big Park, with a pay-what-you-can community catered meal, local vendors and live entertainment. Another such organization is Regent Park Focus Youth Media Arts Centre , which "uses media technology as a tool to employ young people, enhance resiliency, bridge information gaps, increase civic engagement, promote health and effect positive change." Community Development
3876-497: The proportion of low-income residents has decreased as a function of the overall increase in residents. The neighbourhood in 2016 was 28% European, 25.7% South Asian, 13.6% Black, 12.5% Chinese and 3.7% Southeast Asian. The poverty rate has dropped to 44.4% in 2016 from a high of 73% in 1996. Canada consists of 338 electoral districts and Regent Park is located in the Toronto Centre riding . For city administration, each district
3944-552: The remaining historical, area north and west of the housing project, which has experienced considerable gentrification since the 1960s and 1970s. Regent Park—and adjoining areas of the Old City's east end—were home to some of Toronto's historic slum districts in the early 1900s. Most residents of the area were poor and working-class people of British and Irish descent, along with smaller numbers of continental European Jewish and Macedonian immigrants. Concern over crime and social problems in
4012-680: The residents renting houses. It reached its peak of prosperity just before the First World War, which is from when many of the brick homes in the area date. The various architectural styles visible in the neighborhood range from Second-Empire to Bay-n-Gable and High Victorian Terraces, with excellent examples being Francis Shields' House at 377 Sackville St. After the war the area became increasingly impoverished. A large number of poorer residents moved in, many resorting to share one house among multiple families. The nineteenth-century brick houses began deteriorating and, as landlords saw less value in
4080-462: The secular Conseil scolaire Viamonde , and the separate Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir provide instruction in the French language . Several independent schools also operate within downtown Toronto. Downtown Toronto is home to four public universities , the University of Toronto , OCAD University , Université de l'Ontario français and Toronto Metropolitan University . OCAD University
4148-418: The south side of Dundas Street the housing consists of five high-rise apartment towers with two-storey townhomes on the east and west sides. Regent Park has long been recognized as one of the lower-income neighbourhoods in the downtown Toronto area. There is a higher representation of visible minorities, refugees, immigrants and Indigenous people in the neighbourhood compared to neighboring areas. It experiences
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#17328556481994216-612: The third stage of the revitalization plan began in May 2014, which will include newer or updated facilities. The revitalization plan has five phases. Phase two of the revitalization plan was completed in 2018 with the third phase set to be completed by 2023/2024. Regent Park was designed as a transitional community. It was to house people experiencing financial difficulties, or socioeconomic adjustment support. Most residents were on social assistance and working residents paid rent proportional to their income (average total income of individuals in 2010
4284-520: The west. It is also the home of the municipal government of Toronto and the Government of Ontario . The area is made up of Canada's largest concentration of skyscrapers and businesses that form Toronto's skyline. Since 2022, downtown Toronto has the second most skyscrapers in North America exceeding 200 metres (656 ft) in height, behind only Midtown Manhattan, New York City . The retail core of
4352-421: Was $ 38,714). In the last two decades Regent Park has also become an immigrant community, as immigrants facing difficulties settling in Canada end up living there. Thus, the community is always viewed and administered as a transitional community. This contributed to the concentration of a socially marginalized population and various social ills of Regent Park. In particular, a transitional community failed to generate
4420-403: Was completed in 1960. The high-rise portion was designed by Page and Steele while the spartan row house and walk-up apartments were designed by John Edward Hoare. Although Regent Park had been designed to alleviate the area's substandard housing, crime, and social problems, these issues soon reemerged. By the mid-1960s, for example, there were complaints about the housing projects falling into
4488-404: Was confrontational. Paramedics serving the Regent Park area are deployed from Toronto Emergency Medical Services Station 40, an Advanced Life Support and Basic Life Support station staffed with Level II (Advanced Care Paramedic) and Level I (Primary Care Paramedic) crews located at 58 Richmond Street East. Regent Park is served by two public libraries. The Toronto Public Library Parliament branch
4556-580: Was near the site where Castle Frank Brook flowed in the Don River . By the bridge the Don Vale Tavern and Fox's Inn were established to cater to travellers. In 1850 the Toronto Necropolis was established in the area as the city's main cemetery. In the late 19th century the area was absorbed into the city. It became home to the working class Irish inhabitants who were employed in the industries along
4624-551: Was written, most homes in the area sell for well over $ 1 million. Vestiges of a 1960s, counter-culture ambiance remain at vintage clothing stores, health food stores and a gestalt therapy clinic. A Victorian farm, once the site of a zoo, is located adjacent to Riverdale Park West, where a weekly farmer's market is held. A short distance away is the Cabbagetown Youth Centre, home of the Cabbagetown Boxing Club,
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