My Community: The St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood

In our last seminar we discussed the Community Health Improvement Partnership and reflected on the assets and needs of our own communities.

I liked this exercise because it allowed us to put the theory into practice and it was subjective and personal.

I have lived in the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood for the last two and a half years. I really like my neighbourhood because it has a feeling of a small community while being in the heart of Toronto. I am close to Ryerson, entertainment and a ten minute walk to union station where I can catch a bus or train almost anywhere in Southern Ontario. My neighbourhood has restaurants, theatres, grocery stores, churches, a community centre, elementary schools, George Brown College, as well as parks, playgrounds and green space. It also has high street connectivity and mixed land use (Smart Growth BC). But my community also has its share of needs. As with many downtown neighbourhoods, my community struggles with homeless, poverty and crime. 

Today in seminar my group discussed how in Toronto, high and low income areas often boarder each other. The transition between “good” and “bad” neighbourhoods can be very abrupt. In only a few blocks it’s almost like you’re stepping into another world. I can definitely see this in my neighbourhood. East of George Street, the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood takes a turn for the worst. There is a transition from condos and apartments to cooperatives and subsidized housing. All the subsided housing is concentrated into a few square blocks. This area looks very different than other parts of the neighbourhood. There is more litter, less green space and the buildings are in poor repair. It seems like the people living in subsidized housing aren’t proud of where they live. Lawns and gardens are often unkempt and people keep garbage bins on their porches rather than patio furniture. If was to assess this community, I would say that one need would be making this area of subsidized housing more aesthetically pleasing. I realized that this seems superficial but I think that investing money into planting trees and flowers could help reduce some of the stigma that surrounds the area. I’m reminded of the video we watched today in seminar about healthy cities activist Jane Jacobs. Jane said “people don’t want to live in an undignified place”. Could the addition of gardens and green space improve people’s perceptions of this area of subsidized housing? Could they be a source of pride for the people who live there? Perhaps this is something the community as a whole could consider and discuss.