TORONTO — Mitchell Cohen, CEO of The Daniels Corporation, has released a new book entitled Rhythms of Change, which draws from his personal reflections on the 18-year transformation of Toronto’s Regent Park, in partnership with Toronto Community Housing (TCHC).
“For most of us, the concept of urban renewal is certainly nothing new,” he stated during the book’s recent launch. “Over the years, we’ve all seen or read about urban renewal projects that reflect a heavy-handed, top-down process. The Regent Park revitalization turned that practice on its head, putting local voices and aspirations at the top of the agenda.”
The book chronicles the journey of Regent Park, Canada’s oldest and largest social housing project, which was originally designed in the 1940s under a “garden city” model.
However, this planning approach ultimately isolated the neighbourhood, leaving it stigmatized and disconnected from surrounding areas, a release reads.
In his book, Cohen discusses how the revitalization reversed these issues by focusing on resident rights, specifically with principles like the “right of return,” which ensured displaced residents would have the opportunity to come back to a newly built home in their community.
“Rhythms of Change tells both a business and a political story,” Cohen explained, “but most importantly, the book tells a community story. It is about how local residents came together in the mid-1990s to envision a better future — a better quality of life for themselves, their families and their neighborhood.”
The book also details the public-private partnerships between Daniels and TCHC.
“I hope that people reading this book will recognize their unique potential to become an agent of change and, like the residents of Regent Park, harness that potential to build healthy and sustainable neighbourhoods in which everyone is welcome, and everyone belongs,” he added.
Rhythms of Change, Reflections on the Regent Park Revitalization, is available at Amazon, Indigo and local book stores.
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