Our team, “Growing Regent Park”, represents more than what it is. It speaks not only about growing the neighbourhood but also advocates for more green spaces like community gardens in the last phases of the redevelopment. During one of our first class activities, we were told to look for examples of justices and injustices using a map and a walking tour of Regent Park. One of the things we recognized as an example of both was the community gardens. On one hand, they serve as spaces for residents to grow their food and as green space, but on the other, the redevelopment is removing these spaces, causing their absence to become a clear example of economic injustice. The ability to grow food is a crucial way for residents to assert control over their spaces, and recognizing that food and access to food play an important role in the neighbourhood, we are eager to explore how to make food more accessible and more affordable to residents. We’ve identified that there has been a lack of community gardens within the revitalization. Community gardens serve as a place for residents to grow their crops, allowing them to grow culturally sensitive food at an affordable price and combating food insecurity. Creating community gardens beside the old buildings improved access to gardening and strengthened the sense of community among residents, thereby promoting economic justice.
For many of us, storytelling has always been visual. But what happens when words and sound must carry the weight of an entire investigation? On February 27th, we learned how to navigate the tools used for our podcast and how to create long-form journalism. We currently don't have much experience working in the medium of a podcast. However, as we learn more about the tools and resources we have access to over the next few weeks, it will make the task easier. Furthermore, many of us have existing skills and experiences with interviewing, photography/camerawork, and investigation, so we are all confident that what we end up producing will be detailed and informative. Part of the task will be figuring out how to describe our arguments and thesis through an unfamiliar and new (for us) medium. We also finalized our topic and created a thesis during this session, which will guide us throughout our final project. Additionally, we may have found potential interviewees for our work.
Our team aims to investigate:
How can community gardens in Regent Park combat food insecurity?
What are the experiences of people living in Regent Park engaging with community gardens?
How has the loss of accessible community gardening space impacted those who used to rely on it?
What is the history of residents growing their own food in the neighbourhood?
We’re also curious about an empty plot of land that is owned by the Catholic School board. For over 10 years, it has remained vacant following the demolition of Regent Park Duke of York Public School. There has been speculation on what it would be turned into next. While conversations about that space have died down, our group is curious to explore how that space can be repurposed with the community in mind and how it could address food access and economic justice.
Our group consists of 5 UofT students, and we are all tied to the neighbourhood and this course by our similar interests. Here are some brief introductions to members of our group:
Zahra Omar is a Regent Park resident, studying Population Health and Human Geography at the University of Toronto, Scarborough. Passionate about urban planning, she has witnessed redevelopment lose her sense of belonging and is committed to preventing this in other communities.
Saima Islam was also born and raised in Regent Park and is double majoring in Environmental Studies and Human Geography. Growing up witnessing the revitalization firsthand got Saima interested in urban planning and how reshaping a community affects the residents living within it.
Zhiyi Xu is a fourth-year Urban Studies and Sociology student. While not a Regent Park resident, she observed the revitalization and gentrification of her neighborhood in Beijing. This experience motivated her to join this class, aiming to learn how to make revitalization processes more resident-oriented, ensuring that community voices and needs are truly heard.
Lukas Brull is in his fourth year of studying urban studies with a focus on creative expression and society. Born and raised in downtown Toronto, he has witnessed the significant impact of gentrification, homelessness, and the loss of cultural spaces (businesses, restaurants, artwork) in the city over time. This has led to his passion for researching the role of private development companies in these transformations and exploring how redevelopment projects can mitigate the effects on local communities and businesses.
Nicholas Christou is a fourth-year student studying architecture and urban studies. Born and raised in North York, his only knowledge of Regent Park was through hearing negative things about the neighbourhood that do not reflect the true nature of life in it. Having grown up around Jane and Finch, many of the stigmatizations about Regent Park are similar, and given the ongoing plans to also redevelop Jane and Finch, he is concerned about gentrification and displacement. This motivated him to join the class and learn more about Regent Park.
The Growing Regent Park team members are Lukas, Nicholas, Saima, Zahra, and Zhiyi.