Living in Downtown East Vs. West

If you are debating whether to live in Downtown East or Downtown West, you may want to learn more about my neighbourhood. The past few weeks, I have come to realize that I live in one of the most ingrained communities in Downtown Toronto.  A community where every store, restaurant, kiosk, etc… has a story, including the culturally diverse residents from various parts of the world. These individuals are not just passing through, they are here to stay, and some of them have been here in Regent Park for decades. They call Regent Park “home”. Some of the kids that grew up with my younger brother in Cabbagetown are coaches for the hockey leagues and soccer teams, and the kids love them and really look up to them. Some of the retired residents are teaching music and dance in the parks to kids that don’t know what to do with their spare time. They even brought snacks for them.

The revitalized Regent Park community is aesthetically beautiful, with the new buildings blending into the parks and also the exterior of the commercial spaces by matching the tones and colours to the brick and sidings. And let’s not forget the amazing Nelson Mandela School brought back to life with kids playing in their new fields after school until their parents come and get them at 9 pm.

Then when I take clients along King St up to Liberty Village in West Downtown Toronto, they say that everyone there is just passing through as a stepping stone to find their perfect place. In Liberty Village, we see a suburban plaza with big box franchise stores situated right in the middle of these condos and townhomes, with one patch of green space where the children play and the dogs poop.

Daniels, along with the City of Toronto, really came up with a vision bigger than we all thought it would be. I know that Regent Park may not yet be the first choice for condo buyers, however in the long run I believe it to be the best choice for living in a well designed sustainable neighbourhood in urban downtown Toronto.