Rebuilding Public Housing in Regent Park: The Shifting Dynamics of Financialized Redevelopment Models

Abstract

This article examines the redevelopment of Toronto’s Regent Park, a neighborhood formerly comprised exclusively of public housing. Since 2006, it has been undergoing a transformation into a mixed income neighborhood. Through interviews and document analysis, the paper traces the complex and changing development agreements as redevelopment progresses, highlighting the state’s entrepreneurial efforts and the dynamic nature of urban planning and policy. We find that practices of financializing public land are highly fluid, and that efforts to derive public value from public housing redevelopment are tied to shifting community expectations regarding the return of benefits to residents.