How to build a community, one hope at a time

It takes a village to build a village.?

That’s one of the many inspiring insights in Mitchell Cohen’s elegant and inspiring new book on the redevelopment of Toronto’s Regent Park neighbourhood over the last 20 years.?Rhythms of Change?is not just the story of a thriving urban village that used to be a “no go” zone; it’s a helpful guide to how communities, business and governments can work together to create affordable and accessible housing, and how that can spur a new kind of urban development that draws people in rather than shut them out.

To those not familiar with this pocket of Toronto, Regent Park was once a byword for crime and decay. Community leaders had pushed from the 1980s to revitalize it, but it wasn’t until the early 2000s that the City of Toronto, supported by the Ontario and federal governments, got serious enough to make something significant happen. Cohen was one of the visionaries behind the project, with his company The Daniels Corporation playing a leading role. He’s also a bit of a renaissance man, who studied psychology and sociology, not business, and is still a musician at heart (thus the book’s title and creative design, with its own rhythms, beats and images).?

Cohens’ approach to integrated thinking is something more businesses could use to solve problems. Here’s what else I took from?Rhythms of Change:

1. Local politicians are really important. Local councillor Pam McConnell and provincial minster George Smitherman were critical, using their enormous energy and impressive networks to overcome bureaucratic and political frictions.?
2. Companies matter, too, especially if they play to their strengths rather than just sponsor the efforts of others. RBC , my employer, opened a novel branch in the neighbourhood, which was at risk of being unbanked. MLSE (Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Partnership) helped build a sports complex (and youth training program) to keep kids active. Sobeys added an accessible grocery story even though most retailers saw the location as uneconomic.
3. Colleges and universities are central to urban development. In this case, George Brown College made a big assist with training programs for local youth to gain skills in fast-growing areas like restaurant management and culinary design.?
4. Housing is about more than housing. Regent Park’s investments in parks, theatres, book banks and community kitchens created a lifeblood that still thrives.
5. We can’t leave community development just to the market. The diversity of Regent Park — and how it adds to Toronto’s diversity, economic vibrancy and safety — was helped greatly by a rent-to-income policy that ensured people of all incomes can live there.

These sorts of heroic action and projects shouldn’t overshadow broader policies that can both help and hinder communities. For instance, Regent Park was one of the many victims of the downloading of fiscal responsibility for communities and housing in the 1990s, from Ottawa and the provinces to cities. Such fiscal imbalances haunt our cities still.

We also can’t be blind to the enduring challenges of urban crime. Cohen includes the chilling story of a shooting that happened the night of a community restaurant opening — a reminder that urban development and redevelopment doesn’t stop when the construction cranes leave. In fact, that’s when the most important work begins, and never ends, to ensure the social fabric of a community like Regent Park outlives the bricks and mortar.?

As we race to build more housing across the country, Cohen rightly points to the need for soft social infrastructure along with the hard stuff.?

It’s what’s been understood in every good village since development began.