Policy Considerations in Revitalization

As we work with the United Way to come up with policy strategies and solutions for the Greater Golden Mile Revitalization I have realized how important is to define the goals of the project before shaping different policy options. It is important to think about the current context of the neighbourhood and what anticipated changes will be happening, but envisioning what the neighbourhood will look like after the revitalization is complete is a good planning strategy.

When working backwards from an envisioned neighbourhood it makes it easier to think about policy challenges and questions that come up. In terms of housing, it allows us to think about the mix of housing types and what policy tools are available to achieve that desired mix. It allows us to ask ourselves who is responsible for looking out for the tenants and what policy measures we can take to protect those tenants. In terms of housing, it’s important to paint a clear picture of what the role of the government is and what responsibility the developers have to tenants, both current residents in the neighbourhood and incoming residents. Once these expectations are set and understood it can then help to inform policy research and options to address these concerns.

Overall, this project has provided a very useful learning experience in learning to think about the current context of the policy landscape when creating solutions but also how valuable it can be to envision what the goal of policy changes are and how we can work backwards to achieve that.