Private stakeholders in the public realm: A study of public and private approaches to land redevelopment strategies within the central city

This thesis examines the role of smart growth development under smart regulation to achieve greater levels of access to affordable housing. In order to assess the effectiveness of both public and private approaches to land development, a comparative study is presented of a public housing redevelopment known as Regent Park in downtown Toronto, Ontario and a private development of affordable housing apartments as part of a development of luxury condominiums in the downtown Harbourfront area in Toronto. In particular, the thesis examines the public-private partnership model in the revitalization of social housing. The state of land-use planning in Ontario is presented to show that the deregulated environment favored in recent planning legislation has set the tone for more active involvement of private corporations in government services, and in particular that of social housing.