Collective Efficacy and Mixed-Tenure Redevelopment: Insights from Toronto’s Regent Park Neighborhood

Abstract

It is asserted that mixed-tenure public housing redevelopments can improve informal social control in targeted neighborhoods. We investigate this question using a validated measure of collective efficacy from a survey of residents in Toronto’s Regent Park neighborhood. We find that social housing residents report higher perceived levels of collective efficacy than do residents of the market buildings and that households with children report higher perceptions of collective efficacy than do households without children. Our findings provide some support for existing best practices, particularly the provision of amenities for families and the preservation of social ties among social tenants.