Deconstructing Lawrence Heights through Planning, Race, and Space

Abstract

This major paper examines the implications of urban planning with respect to the built environment and public participation. It specifically analyzes the racialization of urban space and spatialization of race in marginalized communities through a case study of Lawrence Heights, a social housing neighbourhood in Toronto. The aim of this research is to flesh out the theories and processes related to the construction of identities through race, space, and the importance of place. I argue that the poorly built environment and barriers to public participation have contributed to the substandard conditions in the neighbourhood, which, ultimately have led to the current revitalization process. This community has been plagued with issues of crime, a deteriorating infrastructure, and the stigmatization stemming from a low-income neighbourhood. These factors have compounded, resulting in a space that has been reproduced as degenerate. My research is concerned with the relationship between identity and space and the role that the implications of planning have played in cementing this connection.