Quantifying the Influence of Regeneration and Redevelopment in Toronto's Kings Districts: 1996-2006
by Elspeth Evans © 2007

With mass suburbanisation in North America, many cities have experienced depopulation of the inner city. Toronto has experienced similar trends, particularly in The Kings, two former industrial areas to the east and west of the central business district which were the target of a recent urban regeneration initiative. This paper examines retail trends in The Kings following the introduction of flexible zoning policy in 1996. The research employs analyses to evaluate changes in retail demand and supply and presents a comparative analysis of the two districts within the City of Toronto. The results demonstrate that retail has grown extensively and that the location and composition of retail types have changed over the study period. This transformation has been driven by the residential and employment growth in the areas as well as overall improvements that have occurred with regeneration. Although the two study areas have similarly flexible planning regulations, each has evolved differently, suggesting that initial variations in physical characteristics, population and retail structure may play an important role in the direction and speed of development. Additional research is needed to understand the short- and long-tern1 planning implications of this research.