Bryan McAllister’s personal reference notebook
July 30, 2026Short & citedBlog
Civic Viewpoint.
A quiet encyclopedia with a personal desk
Kept by Bryan McAllister — short guides, clear facts, and the Canadian angle when it matters.
Field Notes • Canada Places

Regent Park

Regent Park is a neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, Ontario, and Canada’s oldest public housing project.

Updated July 30, 20261 min readCited sources

Regent Park is a downtown Toronto neighbourhood and Canada’s oldest public housing project. It is undergoing a major mixed-income redevelopment that is reshaping the area.

What it is

Regent Park is located in east downtown Toronto, bounded by Parliament Street, Gerrard Street East, River Street, and Shuter Street. It was built starting in 1948 as a 69-acre public housing project, making it Canada’s first and largest such development. For decades, it was associated primarily with low-income social housing.

Key details of the revitalization

Beginning in 2005–2006, Toronto Community Housing and partners like the Daniels Corporation launched a long-term revitalization. The project replaces aging housing with mixed-income residences, adds retail, parks, and community facilities, and reconnects the neighbourhood to the city’s street grid. It is being carried out in phases.

Why it matters to Canada

Regent Park is a landmark case study in Canadian public housing and urban renewal. Its redevelopment is one of the largest social housing projects in the country, illustrating efforts to integrate low-income communities into the broader urban fabric and create mixed-use, mixed-income neighbourhoods.

In short

  • Canada’s oldest public housing project
  • 69-acre site in east downtown Toronto
  • Revitalization began in 2005–2006
  • Aims to integrate into city grid and create mixed-income community
Canadian angle

Regent Park is significant to Canadian readers as a landmark Toronto neighbourhood and an important case study in Canadian public housing, urban renewal, and mixed-income redevelopment.

Quick questions

Where is Regent Park?
Regent Park is in downtown east Toronto, Ontario, Canada, bounded by Parliament Street, Gerrard Street East, River Street, and Shuter Street.
What is Regent Park known for?
It is known as Canada’s oldest public housing project and as one of Toronto’s largest redevelopment and social housing renewal projects.
What is the Regent Park revitalization project?
It is a multi-phase redevelopment of Regent Park into a mixed-income, mixed-use neighbourhood with new housing, retail, parks, and community facilities, led by Toronto Community Housing and partners.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regent_Park
    Supports: Basic location, history, housing origins, and revitalization overview.
  2. Toronto Community Housing — https://torontohousing.ca/building-construction-and-revitalization/revitalization/regent-park-0
    Supports: Official description of Regent Park’s location, scale, and revitalization goals.
  3. Urban Land Institute — https://urbanplan.uli.org/resources/overview/project-snapshots/regent-park/
    Supports: Redevelopment details, partners, and mixed-income planning.
  4. Urban Land Institute — https://casestudies.uli.org/regent-park/
    Supports: History as public housing, project scope, and redevelopment timeline.
  5. Global News — https://globalnews.ca/news/243057/background-torontos-regent-park/
    Supports: Historical background, boundaries, and revitalization summary.