Date of Award

Fall 2012

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Health and Aging

Supervisor

James R. Dunn

Co-Supervisor

James Gillett

Language

English

Committee Member

Robert Wilton

Abstract

Policies of tenure mix have been widely adopted in many industrialized nations and are often justified as a means of attenuating the detrimental effects of concentrated urban poverty. In this thesis, the case of Toronto’s Regent Park community is examined. It is the first large-scale mixed tenure redevelopment of a publicly subsidized housing community in Canada. Using a series of 24 semi-structured qualitative interviews with residents from both tenures, I examine their experience of living in a mixed tenure community and gauge their support for policies of tenure mix more generally. Broader determinants of residential satisfaction in the neighbourhood are also examined. The redeveloped Regent Park is considered to be a relatively safe, convivial, well-serviced, well-situated, and aesthetically pleasing neighbourhood by individuals from both tenures. Further, participants from both tenures expressed support for the ostensible goals of the redevelopment. Resident experiences diverge significantly by tenure with regard to their satisfaction with the management and maintenance of their buildings. Particularly, individuals in the public buildings expressed considerable displeasure with how their buildings were managed and experienced serious physical difficulties that, in some cases, had adverse effects on their health and wellbeing. I find that tenure mix enjoys considerable support from residents of both tenures, with especially strong support evinced by a subset of condominium residents. To assess the efficacy of tenure mix, I employ a conceptual framework provided by Joseph (2006) and find some evidence that the redevelopment has strengthened the social capital of publicly-subsidized tenants. For most residents, more proximal concerns take precedence over the mixed nature of the community.

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