Regenerating Neighbourhoods: A Tale of Two Cities: Benny Farm in Montreal and Regent Park in Toronto

How can the large-scale rebuilding of a neighbourhood be economically viable, environmentally sustainable, and socially responsible? In this lecture, we will discuss two examples of neighbourhoods that are currently subjects of renewal schemes.

In Montreal, Benny Farm was a development built to house veterans after WWII. Bernard Olivier from L’Oeuf Architects will speak about how this aging community of homes and residents is part of a comprehensive social and physical renewal, and a proving ground for “sustainability”.

In Toronto, Regent Park was a mid-20th century urban renewal project intended to rebuild a “slum”. It has now come full circle, with the renewal project experiencing some of the same issues that the previous “slum” had experienced over half a century earlier. Mark Guslits from Toronto Community Housing Corporation will discuss how it is again undergoing a renewal scheme, this time using contemporary ideals.