The New Normal

The Figure of the Condo Owner inToronto'sRegentPark

Bibliographic Data

ID2262838
AuthorsSharon Kelly (University of Toronto Canada)
Year2013
Volume25
Issue2
Pages173-194
Publication date2013-08-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCity & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0893-0465 • E-ISSN: 1548-744X
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/ciso.12015
OpenAlexW1924149379
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited19

In this paper, I explore the newly emergent figure of the condo owner inToronto'sRegentPark,Canada's first and largest government housing project, which is being razed and rebuilt in a $1 billion redevelopment. The revitalized neighborhood will contain a mix of subsidized and condominium housing, and commercial development. Against this backdrop of massive change, the figure of the condo owner is perceived both as a salve and a threat. The redevelopment is premised upon the need to "normalize"RegentPark through the creation of a mixed-income neighborhood, and the figure of the condo owner is deployed as a paragon of this "new normal." However, the presence of the condo owner also evokes fears of privatization and a diminished voice for low-income residents. Drawing on fieldwork conducted withinRegentPark, I examine how the figure of the condo owner is constituted in service to the redemption of a devalorized neighborhood, and how the condo owners negotiate this subject position. [urban revitalization, social mix, poverty, gentrification, Toronto

Homelessness and Social Issues · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism · Urban Planning and Governance

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