Laura Johnson of the School of Planning coauthors milestone book on Regent Park | School of Planning

Regent Park Redux evaluates one of the biggest experiments in public housing redevelopment from the tenant perspective. Built in the 1940s, Toronto’s Regent Park has experienced common large-scale public housing problems. Instead of simply tearing down old buildings and scattering inhabitants, the city’s housing authority came up with a plan for radical transformation.

In partnership with a private developer, the Toronto Community Housing Corporation organized a twenty-year, billion-dollar makeover. The reconstituted neighbourhood, one of the most diverse in the world, will offer a new mix of amenities and social services intended to "reknit the urban fabric."

Regent Park Redux, based on a ten-year study of 52 households as they moved through stages of displacement and resettlement, examines the dreams and hopes residents have for their community and their future. Urban planners and designers across the world, in cities facing some of the same challenges as Toronto, will want to pay attention to this story.

About the authors

Laura C. Johnson is a Professor of Planning at the University of Waterloo, Canada. She has authored three booksâon childcare, industrial homework, and teleworkingâas well as numerous articles on related topics. She received the American Planning Association’s 2004 National Women in Planning Award in honour of Diana Donald.

Robert E. Johnson is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Toronto, Canada, and Senior Journalism Fellow of Massey College, Canada. His main research focus has been Russian and Soviet history, including a recent study of living space in Russian cities. He collaborated with Laura Johnson on The Seam Allowance (1983).