Comment 17203

By statius (registered) | Posted January 15, 2008 at 16:42:20

"Statius, it doesn't have to be all or nothing. There could be some subsidized units along with higher end condos. Some of the most dynamic developments and neighbourhoods in TO are mixed income."

As I've said many times before, the urban dynamic of Toronto is vastly different than Hamilton's. Nevertheless ... when people talk about vibrant "mixed income" neighbourhoods in Toronto they usually reference West Queen West. The problem with this reference (and pretty much every example like it) is that the area is a traditionally low-income area in transition to high-income (gentrification). The fact that it is currently "mixed income" (combining yuppies with artists, students, addicts, ect.) is truly ephemeral and incidental. This just won't last. Almost every truly successful residential neighbourhood in downtown Toronto is monolithically middle-income and above.

While I am not advocating any sort of economic segregation by design, I do maintain as a simple matter of fact that the vast, vast majority of upper income home buyers simply would not purchase a unit in a building which contained subsidized units, or even in a building next to or in the vicinity of a social housing community. These are serious NIMBYs.

Toronto does have some social housing which was converted into low cost co-ops and condos. These, many located around Jarvis, are now trash heaps and an impediment to the economic rehabilitation of that area.

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