Problem Statement
Through this project, we aim to examine the impact of the Regent Park revitalization on local ethnic food businesses and the broader community's cultural identity. This multi-billion dollar, multi-phase redevelopment plan seeks to create a mixed-income, mixed-use community that incorporates both market-rate and subsidized housing units alongside commercial spaces. While the intention is to improve living conditions and integrate Regent Park more closely with the surrounding city, there are significant concerns regarding the potential displacement of existing residents and local businesses that have historically served the community's diverse population.
This iteration of course focuses on the civic engagement component of planning and seeks to unravel the barriers preventing residents from actively participating in community local development initiatives. Civic engagement is particularly important to the revitalization of Regent Park as it ensures the inclusion of local residents and business owners, many of whom are visible minorities and low-income individuals, in the planning process. However, despite its significance in preserving local identity, fostering civic engagement in Regent Park has encountered difficulties due to challenges like language barriers, trust issues, and cultural differences.
Our project seeks to better understand these challenges through short documentary-style videos exploring the stories of local ethnic food business owners, their challenges, and their contributions to the community's social fabric. The project aims to serve as a civic engagement initiative fostering a dialogue among residents, policymakers, and the broader public about the impacts of urban redevelopment on community cohesion and cultural diversity.
Project Implementation
The format of our project is a multimedia presentation centered around a series of short documentary-style videos. These videos, each ranging from 5 to 10 minutes in length, will delve into the vibrant food culture within Regent Park, focusing particularly on the small ethnic grocery stores and food services that play a critical role in the community's cultural identity and food security.
Our media will feature interviews with local food business owners, offering insights into their experiences with the Regent Park revitalization project, their challenges, and the ways they contribute to the community's well-being. Alongside these interview-based videos, we plan on producing two commentary videos that offer audience context on the history of Regent Park, the ongoing changes due to revitalization, and the broader implications for civic engagement.
We chose video as our media format due to its accessibility and its ability to tell a more cohesive story by integrating text, visual, and audio. This project aims to utilize various media platforms for distribution, including the Focus Media Arts Centre's website and its Youtube channel, to reach a diverse audience. The goal is to engage not only Regent Park residents but also policymakers, urban planners, and the general public interested in urban development, community engagement, and the preservation of cultural diversity in changing neighborhoods. The online distribution platform will serve as an opportunity for the audience to interact and participate with the broader civic engagement initiative through comments, shares, and reposts.
gantt chart for our project implementation plan
Progress
During last Thursday’s session, we visited 5 local businesses in person and inquired about the possibility of conducting an interview with them. We have secured two interviewees on the spot and the rest expressed a positive response. In the following week, we will keep in touch with the businesses we met in person and reach out to other businesses through email and phone calls. We drafted a list of 10 potential interviewees and our goal is to conduct interviews with at least 5 of the local business owners.
On Monday, March 11, we will be interviewing with the owners of Bowl and Snacks, a restaurant specializing in Asian fusion cuisine. On Thursday, March 14, we plan on interviewing Ines to learn about the story of the cafe in the Daniels Spectrum
To ensure high-quality production, we've prepared essential equipment such as microphones, cameras, and tripods, all facilitated by Tyrone and the Focus Media Arts Centre. Each of our team members will rotate and take on different roles (interviewer, cameraperson, audio technician, and notetaker/supporter) for each interview.
types of shots to be included in our video
One of our core aims of this project is to promote these local businesses and elevate community awareness about their vital contributions to Regent Park's social and cultural fabric. To this end, we will actively engage in spreading awareness and showcasing the importance of these establishments in fostering community spirit and providing essential services. Before filming, we will obtain consent from all participants to ensure their willingness and comfort in sharing their stories as part of our media project.
Appendix
List of guiding interview questions:
Tell us about the business
When was the business established
Why did you decide to open this business (and why in Regent Park)
What type of food do you guys sell
What’s the hardest part of owning a small food business
Tell us about you
What is it like to be a small business owner here in Regent Park (what does a normal day look like in your life)
Do you live in Regent Park?
What’s your/the business’ connection to Regent Park?
Are most of your customers from Regent Park?
Does your business participate in community events in Regent Park?
Do you see yourself as a member of the Regent Park community?
Do you think establishing your business in Regent Park helped or harmed your business? Why?
Do you feel any impacts from the revitalization process?
Do you realize any changes in sales performance before and after the revitalization took place?
Do you realize any changes in the demographic of customers?
Are you affected by the construction of the new development in any way?
What do you think about the new franchise stores that are opening in RP?
What’s your outlook for the future?
What do you think your business and Regent Park will look like in the next 5 years?
What’s your plan to compete/coexist with the changes brought upon by the new development?
The Off the Shelf team members are Tyrone, Wilma, Chanel, and Annette