Gentrification Reconsidered: The Case of The Junction

This paper examines the factors responsible for the gentrification of The Junction, a west-end neighbourhood located on the edge of downtown Toronto. After years of neglect, degradation and deindustrialization, The Junction is currently in the midst of being gentrified. Through various forms of neighbourhood upgrading and displacement, gentrification has been responsible for turning a number working-class Toronto neighbourhoods into middle-class enclaves. The Junction is unique in this regard because it does not conform to past theoretical perspectives regarding gentrification in Toronto. Through the use of an instrumental case-study, various factors responsible for The Junction's gentrification are examined and a number of its indicators that are present in the neighbourhood are explored so that a solid understanding regarding the neighbourhood's gentrification can be realized. What emerges is a form of 'user-friendly' or 'community-driven' gentrification that places emphasis on neighbourhood revitalization and community inclusion, as opposed to resident displacement and neighbourhood exclusivity. Document analysis, observational fieldwork and twenty-one, one-on-one interviews with various residents, business owners, related professionals and city staff members work together to provide context regarding the neighbourhood's user-friendly from of gentrification. Although The Junction's gentrification has not yet reached a state of maturation, the neighbourhood has thus far been able to successfully breakaway from some of the negative narratives associated with the process, replacing them with a form of gentrification that is both inclusive, and community oriented.