For many people, “gentrification” is a negative word. It raises images of an older, eclectic neighbourhood being uprooted by wealthier, more homogeneous locals, more chain stores and less culture. But for the speakers at ULI Toronto’s “Neighbourhood Gentrification – The Future of Toronto” panel discussion, moderated by Young Leaders Group co-chair Joel Conquer, gentrification represents the enhancement and renewal of local communities, some of which would otherwise be in a period of decline.

Tim Jones, president and CEO of Artscape and an internationally recognized leader in city-building through the arts, spoke about the need to change the historical discussion on gentrification. Rather than focussing on “gentrifiers” versus “gentrified,” the conversation should instead centre on the historical negative impacts of gentrification, and how these can be avoided. For example, he pointed out how gentrification has often displaced artists and cultural groups, which are frequently the reasons the neighbourhood was attractive in the first place. A principled approach would include ways to keep these residents and businesses in the neighbourhood, while also allowing for changes that come with gentrification. However, opposing change on principle is short-sighted and will result in a stagnant city.

One way to maintain or enhance neighbourhood diversity, which all of the panellists acknowledged was an important objective, is to incorporate housing geared to low- and middle-income individuals and families, while still having a neighbourhood that will attract higher-income residents, workers and consumers. Brent Raymond, a partner at DTAH and a landscape architect, planner, and urban designer with a particular focus in urban areas, specifically intensification, redevelopment, waterfronts and public realm design, spoke about how there was a former belief that social housing needed to look uniform, drab and cheap. Now, those responsible for city building, including those in the public sector, are realizing the benefit of elegant and interesting social housing that can be part of neighbourhood gentrification, and can allow residents from different social, cultural and economic backgrounds to be part of these new communities.

Michael McClelland, a founding partner at E.R.A. Architects Inc., has worked on some exciting Toronto projects, including the Distillery District and the Don Valley Brickworks. Michael led a discussion around the importance of the community itself being the catalyst for change, rather than developers and specific buildings. For example, there can be redevelopment of a major institution or employer, such as the CAMH redevelopment in Queen Street West; zoning changes that allow mixed-used developments or new employment opportunities; transit improvements, such as the Weston area; motivated and dynamic business improvement associations; and the impact of artists.

However even when there seems to be a “community catalyst,” the current environment does not help developers who are looking to create projects that work within the scope of existing communities. Les Mallins, the founder and president of Streetcar Developments, has projects throughout the downtown core from the Beaches to Queen Street West. Les spoke about the challenges facing developers trying to bring change to existing neighbourhoods, and noted that often these developments are more modest than the 50 storey condos that are going up throughout the City. However, the municipal hoops that the developer has to jump through are no different, there are no tax incentives and the specific planning regimes are prohibitive. Often, the ultimate success of the project rests with helpful City planning staff, which can be unpredictable. Given the impacts these hoops can have on development costs, many projects cannot successfully proceed.

One example from Vancouver that all the panellists felt was progressive was allowing coach houses to be built along rear lanes in dense developed neighbourhoods. These small houses would increase densification and allow younger and more diverse people to become part of established City neighbourhoods, where rising house prices are becoming prohibitive for much of the population.

Paul Johnson, a broker with Unique Urban Homes, specializes in the sale of unique properties throughout Toronto with special attention given to modern architectural homes. Paul has a vested interest in ensuring that gentrification and its related new developments preserve the heritage and character of the neighbourhood. That being said, he believes those living on Toronto’s main streets need to appreciate that further densification is a product of living in a growing and vibrant city. Balancing these two principles is the challenge that all members of ULI are tasked with.

The 100-plus attendees of the event, most of whom were ULI Young Leaders, joined the panellists for more intimate round-table discussions following the panel presentations. Many of these Young Leaders are working and living in Toronto’s unique neighbourhoods and this event sparked interesting discussions and debates about the impacts of gentrification throughout our great city.

Brennan Carroll
Partner
BLG LLP