This week Alex and myself, Esi, got to better understand what Sahara and Huda want out of this project, and how they wanted Regent Park represented. We all want the voices of Regent Park to be the ones that are amplified and for their perspectives to be in the limelight. As outsiders and UofT students, we are conscious of taking a step back when asking what Regent Park means to Sahara and Huda and examining our positionality. Regent Park has been in development for most of Sahara and Huda’s lives and we asked them to tell us their thoughts and feelings on what it feels like to live in a constant state of flux. They both agreed that the changes have gone from more background instances like rebuilt buildings and people moving out of the area, to more obvious changes like a new community centre and an influx of new residents.
We discussed the meaning of mixed-income housing and how this has notably changed the face of Regent Park over the years along with how the descriptions of Regent have changed as of post revitalization. Sahara and Huda were noticeably frustrated by the stereotypes and stigma that plague Regent Park and how they hope this zine can help people understand that Regent Park is at its heart a community, and that no community is perfect meaning it should not be defined by its flaws. Especially when these issues like crime, gang activity and drugs are often exacerbated by the media.
This week we were successful in writing the first drafts of our author bios, Sahara and Huda wrote on their observations and thoughts on the redevelopment of Regent Park along with initial thoughts for how their timelines will line up with the timeline of the redevelopment.
One of our challenges this week was better understanding the scope of the project before us and that time management will be crucial to work through the zine and have it polished before the deadline. Additionally, we are beginning to choose scholarly articles to reference focusing on Regent Park but not strictly from a development or planning perspective. For our project we are more interested in how the social stigma affects the neighborhood and how it is represented. Our scholarly research will be focused more on the reality of Regent Park as opposed to the perceived reality or the stereotypes.
The intended audience of the zine outside of our peers and classmates will be other members of Regent Park along with those who want to learn about Regent Park. One of the main themes of our zine will be selective memory and how the residents of Regent Park are rarely given the opportunity to express how they remember and memorialize Regent Park. This zine can do that, which makes the perspectives of Regent Park residents, like Sahara and Huda so crucial.
Alex took this picture below of a crumbling building on Oak street in Regent Park set to be demolished. Sahara was the one who mentioned that the distinct red bricks were synonymous with the style and look of the old Regent Park. This visual of the old Regent Park fading into obscurity is a reminder that things are definitely changing and it is up to those long standing members of Regent to remember and memorialize what used to be. Hopefully in the next few weeks we can can remember Regent Park in a way that feels truest to its residents, both old and new.
Our next few goals for the project:
Finish up the scholarly research portion.
Take more pictures of local Regent buildings and landmarks like the community centre, Daniel Spectrum, new subsidized buildings and condos, along with high end stores like the Paintbox.
Write the pages for the zine.
Review initial draft.
Look for print shops, expected budget, specific size of zine, along with budget and how many copies we will need.
Members of Remembering Regent: Alex, Esi, Sandy, Huda, and Sahara