On the fast track

Toronto is a city of neighbourhoods. Each one has its own character and culture that separate it from the others. If the city has one universal feature to blend it all into one, it’s the collision of old and new on every corner. Wedged between trendy, hip streets lined with condos and coffee shops are old, mangled buildings, touting the badge of history and graffiti tags.

Another merging of opposites occurs in neighbourhoods where old homes, slashed into mice-ridden apartments, stand beside sky-high condos with stainless steel appliances.

[pullquote]A typical issue with gentrification is the inevitable displacement of the original community. It begins with artists, who are attracted by affordable rents but then become victims of their own cool appeal as the area’s cultural thriving draws a middle-class crowd with competitive middle-class incomes.[/pullquote]

Gentrification — the creeping in of the middle-class milieu — is embodied in Toronto by the condos on Bloor Street, the sale of Mirvish Village, and the heavily contested discussion of bringing a Walmart to Kensington. Queen Street West, Leslieville, and King Street West are also examples of areas undergoing gentrification. Gentrification entails turning cheap, grungy, and usually avoided areas of cities into swank hotspots housing yuppies in condos, lofts, or renovated Victorian houses with hip new bars and restaurants tailored to the latest culinary trends. Cafes are filled with strollers and sidewalks with joggers decked out in Lululemon, their pets dressed in similarly expensive attire.

Showing the signs

The Junction is another pocket of Toronto where the term gentrification is being tossed around. At first glance, it seems that the Junction, at the intersection of two railways, is the perfect candidate for gentrification. It has hip people, trendy stores, and a catchy name. It also features empty warehouses, ideal for loft conversions, and a rich history that lends the area a unique, charming character of particular appeal to the affluent.

New businesses along Dundas West, between Keele and Runnymede, are indicative of this change. The cafes, organic and local grocers, vegan brunch spots, and home décor and antique shops make the Junction a perfect Saturday destination.

This past Nuit Blanche, there was an exhibit on Bloor and Lansdowne illustrating the vibrancy of this new cultural centre emerging in the west of the city. The area is increasingly attracting young entrepreneurs, resulting in thriving new businesses throughout. Aboveground Art Supplies has found a second home on Dundas West, and Articulations ­— an art supplies store, studio, and gallery hybrid — has also sprung up in the area.

The negative aspects of gentrification are easily forgotten on a visit to the stylish neighbourhood. Customers and baristas exchange chuckles and conversations in cafes, and neighbours greet one another in the streets. The Beet, an organic, fair-trade grocer and cafe is a particular gem of the area, offering delicious, healthy meals across a range of dietary restrictions — gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, and so on — and a plethora of local produce. It’s a haven for hipsters and yuppies alike.

Displacing the community

In spite of the excellent strolling potential of the area, there are downsides to its gentrification. The Junction has a long history preceding its recent transformation into an attractive and hip neighbourhood. A typical issue with gentrification is the inevitable displacement of the original community. It begins with artists, who are attracted by affordable rents, but then become victims of their own cool appeal as the area’s cultural thriving draws a middle-class crowd with competitive middle-class incomes. The original community is often forced out by the high cost of living, or because the neighbourhood’s identity no longer suits their needs.

Already, the Junction has the fastest rising real estate values in Toronto. New stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues have generated buzz, and have caused many to deem the area Toronto’s next big neighbourhood. Embedded within this up-and-coming reputation is the problematic corollary effect of displacing community members.

Gentrified neighbourhoods come to embody a consumerist lifestyle. Only those who can afford this lifestyle can actively participate in the community, at least financially. Furthermore, once-thriving businesses, catering to specific local demands, are ousted.

Cultural signifiers and ethnic businesses also suffer, and sometimes disappear, when gentrification occurs. Cultural establishments cater to the unique population and define the neighbourhood. The working class population of artists and young adults in the Junction also has cause for concern as fewer and fewer local businesses remain to cater to its financial bracket.

Barriers to gentrification

While this narrative may seem clear, various factors are already standing in the way of gentrification in the Junction. The neighbourhood is unique because it is surrounded by less appealing industrial areas, as opposed to the chic areas that typically attract gentrification.

West of Runnymede, Dundas is uninspiring. The wide lanes, fast traffic, box stores, and plazas with asphalt parking lots are not conducive to pedestrians. To the north, St. Clair West is similar. Once the stockyards and meatpacking district, St. Clair West has been developed into a motor-centric area with big box stores and seas of parking spaces. South of the Junction, however, are High Park and Bloor West Village, both of which have been established as affluent neighbourhoods for decades.

Additionally, the influx of new businesses has rebranded the area a great deal. Many of the original, iconic storefronts remain. While it seems that their future may be short, one must remember that they have stayed firm for years amid the ongoing process of gentrification, appealing to both middle- and low-income families and individuals.

Gentrification isn’t entirely a menace, although some uncomfortable realities coincide with it. Building community identity through cozy cafes, chic boutiques, and hip new bars is the sign of a lively city — but the cost of that progress falls upon the existing population in the area, which may be forced to move to more affordable areas in the sprawl of the GTA.

The narrative of the Junction follows the course of the city, as areas gentrify constantly, uncomfortably brushing up against the aging architecture of the past, but never managing to completely stamp out the remnants of the city’s heritage. While the wrong side of the tracks in the Junction may continue to get shinier, urban history indicates that the area may yet hold tight to its character.