Bordered by Dundas and Queen on the north and south and Cameron and Augusta on the east and west, Alex-andra Park is an engaging and unique community, struggling with some big questions and challenging contradictions. Composed of two TCHC buildings and the Atkinson Housing Co-operative, this culturally diverse community of more than 2000 residents has a majority of its residents living on a fixed income.
Through discussions involving the City of Toronto and TCHC, the Alexandra Park community has begun development of a revitalization plan in order to improve conditions in the neighbourhood. The Alexandra Park Visioning Committee, consisting of key stakeholders and neighbourhood residents, was formed to help guide this process. In order to find out what changes Alexandra Park residents wanted to see in their neighbourhood, the Visioning Committee enlisted the help of CSPC-T to help conduct a survey of neighbourhood residents and facilitate subsequent focus groups.
The survey and focus groups completed, CSPC-T’s Re-searcher and Policy Analyst Navjeet Sidhu authored the report What Was Heard: Residents’ Thoughts on Revitalizing Alexandra Park, which was released December 6th at a community meeting and lunch.
The report’s findings, which were presented at the meeting by CSPC-T’s Winston Tinglin, paint a picture of a community which has evolved considerably in the recent past. While the report documents the relatively high levels of satisfaction amongst residents, it also identifies priorities in their concerns about maintenance, social services, community engagement and safety.