Could three levels of government work with real estate developers, non-profits, and private citizens to create an affordable, vibrant, and urban residential community?
As the fiftieth anniversary of Toronto’s St. Lawrence neighbourhood approaches, the answer is resoundingly Yes! But why hasn’t this enormously successful model for development been replicated?
Architect-planner Frank Lewinberg — who’d identified the derelict industrial lands for development as a young city planner — and photographer-writer Vincenzo Pietropaolo first walked these streets in the early 1970s, as a housing crisis and rising interest rates loomed over the country. Now, St. Lawrence is a family neighbourhood, and home to 10,000 residents of mixed incomes, backgrounds, and professions, with blooming green spaces and affordable housing options seamlessly integrated into the heart of Toronto.
How did this model urban neighbourhood come to be? How can it inspire other bold, innovative solutions to today’s housing problems? With stunning photographs, Housing for All recounts a richly detailed history that delivers lessons, recommendations, and roadmaps for the future of affordable urban living.
