Neoliberal Urbanism In Transforming Toronto?s Built Urban Landscape: The Case Of Yonge And Dundas Square

Scholars in the 1980s and 1990s often characterized Toronto as the 'city that works'. However, by the late 1990s there was a shift in policy by the provincial government to amalgamate Toronto's five neighbouring municipalities. Amalgamation created a mega city of 2.5 million residents. The reason for amalgamation was to increase Toronto's global competitiveness, a key neoliberal policy framework. Neoliberalism also refers to deregulation of state control over public services. Peck et al. (2009) devised a chart to outline the specific elements of neoliberalism that alter the built urban landscape. These are: the elimination of urban public spaces, speculative redevelopment in working class neighbourhoods, withdrawal from community planning initiatives, the privatization of space for elite/corporate consumption, undertaking of mega-projects to attract corporate investment, creation of gated communities, continuation of gentrification, and the adoption of the 'highest and best use' principle in major land use planning decisions. This major paper applies their criteria to the redevelopment of Yonge-Dundas Square as a case study. I conclude that Peck, et al.'s (2009) elements are indeed useful in considering how neoliberalism influences planning processes, and decision making. My findings suggest a lack of public accessibility to public space, and the reproduction of urban inequalities and disenfranchisement in the city. I discuss how their criteria may inform studies of ongoing and future development in Toronto