Post-Revanchist Urban Policy and Bottom-Up Influence in Downtown Oshawa, Ontario by Timothy G
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The Legitimacy of ‘Compassionate Mix’: Post-Revanchist Urban Policy and Bottom-up Influence in Downtown Oshawa, Ontario by Timothy G. Wykes A Thesis presented to The University of Guelph In partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology Guelph, Ontario, Canada © Timothy G. Wykes, June, 2020 ABSTRACT THE LEGITIMACY OF ‘COMPASSIONATE MIX’: POST-REVANCHIST URBAN POLICY AND BOTTOM-UP INFLUENCE IN DOWNTOWN OSHAWA, ONTARIO Timothy G. Wykes Advisor: University of Guelph, 2020 Dr. Mavis Morton Social mix has emerged as a consensus ‘top-down’ approach in urban policies throughout the Global North and beyond. In Ontario, Canada, the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2017) has legislated for urban growth centres (UGCs), which are existing or emerging downtowns like Downtown Oshawa, to achieve ‘balance’, ‘variety’, and/or ‘diversity’ by planning “complete communities”. In this context, Downtown Oshawa is undergoing a transition that resonates with post-revanchist understandings of contemporary gentrification. Specifically, local policies pledge to uphold ‘compassionate’ commitments to vulnerable populations while enticing relatively affluent newcomers. Informed by the theoretical framework of ‘everyday’ international political economy (EIPE), and adopting a critical realist grounded theory (CRGT) methodology, this qualitative case study set upon two objectives: (1) to determine if ‘everyday’ agents in Downtown Oshawa perceive ‘compassionate mix’ policies as legitimate; and (2) to establish what, if any, influence agents’ ‘bottom-up’ responses exerted. It contributes to extant literature by foregrounding the perceived policy legitimacy of non-elite agents and examining if and how their responses influenced practices and relations downtown. The results centre interviews (n = 25) with ‘everyday’ agents, or dwellers, who regularly spent time in Downtown Oshawa, as well as over 100 hours of observational fieldwork and a review of policies, legislation, and newspaper articles. Findings suggest that dwellers expressed a deep ambivalence captured by the EIPE concept of legitimation gaps. Specifically, dwellers endorsed local policies’ pledges to enhance the downtown reputation, import employment opportunities, and improve social control. However, rather than achieving these goals, dwellers experienced a variety of hardships associated with gentrification, including but not limited to a loss of place identity. Further, dwellers engaged in a variety of axiorational behaviours to compensate for perceived shortcomings in ‘compassionate’ service provisioning, including selective affiliation, holding ‘unconditional love’ and sustenance rallies for the vulnerable, and lending beds to others with insecure shelter. I situate these findings within broader academic discussions on resistance, gentrification, and poverty management before exploring alternative policy solutions to structurally address dwellers’ needs and frustrations. iv Dedication For Dad 1947-2016 v Acknowledgements Dr. Mavis Morton has been my Ph.D. supervisor throughout my first university teaching job, qualifying examinations, topic changes, research ethics board submissions, chapter drafts, revisions, defence preparation, and much, much more. I am so grateful for Mavis’ mentorship, support, and intellectual contributions over the years. Thank you for your principled approach to scholarship, honest advice, and ongoing commitment – even when nothing was certain. This is a shared achievement. The expertise and dedication of my dissertation committee made this research possible. I am indebted to Dr. Mervyn Horgan, Dr. Kate Parizeau, and Dr. Ron Stansfield for generously devoting time and effort to help this research materialize. Also, a special thanks Dr. Bill O’Grady and Dr. Eugene McCann for taking a seat at the defence table. My sincerest gratitude and appreciation to my University of Guelph colleagues. Thank you to my instructors, classmates, and my dazzling Ph.D. cohort – Greggory Cullen, Jessica Notwell, and Rukmini Borooah Pyatt (Mimi). Also, a special thank you to our graduate secretary, Shelagh Daly, who could always point me in the right direction. Thank you to Dr. Jennifer Lavoie, Dr. Thomas Fleming, Dr. Stacey Hannem, and Dr. Lauren Eisler for your support and encouragement while pursuing my Ph.D. Thanks Mom, Holly, and Lily for your love and support. Finally, thank you to all of the respondents who graciously took the time to speak to me for this research. vi Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. ix List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. x List of Symbols, Abbreviations, or Nomenclature ........................................................................ xi Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 The Scope of Inquiry ................................................................................................................... 1 Research Context: Transitioning Downtown Oshawa’s Place Identity ...................................... 7 Research Objectives .................................................................................................................. 17 Organization of this Study......................................................................................................... 19 Chapter One: Theoretical Framework: ‘Everyday’ International Political Economy .................. 22 ‘Everyday’ International Political Economy ............................................................................. 22 Legitimation and Place Identity ................................................................................................ 24 Resistance and ‘Bottom-Up’ Change ........................................................................................ 29 Crisis Narratives ........................................................................................................................ 32 Statement of Research Contribution ......................................................................................... 33 Centering ‘Everyday’ Agency ............................................................................................... 33 Downtown Oshawa ............................................................................................................... 35 Chapter One Summary .............................................................................................................. 35 Chapter Two: Gentrification and Social Mix: Emancipatory, Revanchist, and Post-Revanchist Narratives ...................................................................................................................................... 37 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 37 Social Mix as Positive Gentrification: The ‘Emancipatory’ City ............................................. 38 Social Capital ......................................................................................................................... 41 Creative Classes ..................................................................................................................... 43 Destigmatization .................................................................................................................... 46 Social Mix as Negative Gentrification: The Revanchist City ................................................... 47 The Culture of Poverty .......................................................................................................... 48 Territorial Stigmatization ...................................................................................................... 50 Social Cohesion and Exchange Networks ............................................................................. 52 Displacement ......................................................................................................................... 54 Social Mix as Compassionate Gentrification: The ‘Post-Revanchist’ City .............................. 58 Chapter Two Summary ............................................................................................................. 63 Chapter Three: Research Design .................................................................................................. 64 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 64 vii Principles and Procedures of Grounded Theory ....................................................................... 64 Critical Realist Grounded Theory ........................................................................................