The Erasure of Little Jamaica: Exploring the Role of Design in the Gentrification of Toronto’s Eglinton Avenue est Debbie Gordon A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Studies, or! Uni#ersity, Toronto, Ontario September 2'() * Debbie Gordon, 2'() A!"TRA#T $oronto is undergoing a series of neoliberal changes related to a large regional transit de#elopment initiati#e for the Greater $oronto Area and +amilton ,G$AH- ,Freeman and +ume &'(.-/ 0is has resulted in the construction of the 1glinton 2rossto3n 45T line and the accompanying 1G4IN$%6connects rede#elopment plan through the 4ittle 7amaica mar!et area/ 0is de#elopment signals the displacement of the marginali8ed and immigrant community in the 4ittle 7amaica area and its erasure, and follo3s historical precedents of the erasure of 9lac! spaces in 2anada/ 0rough photographs and inter#ie3s this study explores the role of design in the gentrification of 4ittle 7amaica by analy8ing its #isual artefacts for insight on ho3 the area is produced/ 0e findings indicate that significant di;erences in po3er dynamics bet3een the members of the 2aribbean community and those 3ith political po3er and capital a;ect ho3 they use design for their benefit and are a dri#ing force behind the displacement in the area/ ii A#$%& LEDG'E%TS 0is thesis 3ould not ha#e been possible 3ithout the support, !indness, and generosity of many people/ I am grateful to the Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Studies for the opportunity to underta!e this research and for their support and guidance during this process/ I 3as pri#ileged to ha#e 3or!ed 3ith my super#isory committee Andil Gosine, Angela 6or3ood, and Glen 6orcli;e and to ha#e had their guidance and endless patience throughout my research/ I 3ould li!e to than! them and their respecti#e departments for their support/ 0is pro<ect could not ha#e happened 3ithout the research participants graciously sharing their time, !no3ledge, and experiences. 0ey 3ere essential to my research, but perhaps e#en more so to me personally/ It 3as an honour to ha#e met and spo!en 3ith them/ Many others ha#e helped me to stay focused, grounded, and moti#ated/ I 3ould li!e to than! Fun!e Aladejebi for her encouragement and feedbac! on my early chapter drafts; 5obert Gill for his persistence that I ask more questions; 4eslie Sanders for her encouragement and her 9lac! 2anadian literature course 3hich 3as a game?changer for my research> 9ryn Greer?@ootten from the Institute for Social 5esearch for his in#aluable guidance; and my peers 7acqueline Scott and 1d3ard 0omas for their support/ 4astly, I 3ould also li!e to than! my family for their support/ I could not ha#e completed this thesis 3ithout them/ iii TA!LE O( C&%TE%T" A!"TRA#T ii A#$%& LEDG'E%TS iii L)"T O( F)G*RE" vi #+APTER 1. I%TR&D*#TI&% - Statement of the Problem 3 Purpose of the Study 3 Research Questions 4 Significance of the Study 4 Theoretical Framework Research !ethod " Summary # #+APTER 2. HI"T&R)#AL C&%TE0T O( THE ERA"*RE O( L)TTLE JA'A)#A A%D TRA%")T DE1EL&,'E%T I% T&R&%T& 2 $istory % &ransit $istory '3 &ransit and (entrification ' !ulticulturalism and )elonging *+ #+APTER 3. METH&D&L&G4 /5 ,ata -ollection/Procedures */ ,ata 0nalysis *# Reflexi3ity *% &echnical Difficulties 3/ #+APTER 4. F)%D)%G" 37 0nalysis of 5nter3iews 3# i# Summary of 5nter3iews /3 0nalysis of Photographs /4 Summary of Photographs %" #+APTER 5. L)TERATURE RE1)E 22 6nderstanding 7eoliberal 6rban ,evelopment %% The 5ntersection of Design and (entrification ''+ Summary '*+ #+APTER 6. D)"#*"")&% -/- Summary of Findings '*' 8imitations '* Recommendations for Future Research '*/ -onclusion '*" !)!L)&GRA,+4 -39 A,,E%D)0 A -37 # L)"T O( F)G*RE" Figure &/(A %a!3ood Billage and Surrounding 6eighbourhoods (' Figure &/&A Bisible Minority and 9lac! Population of %a!3ood Billage 2ompared to Ad<acent 6eighborhoods (( Figure &/CA 2hange in A#erage Indi#idual Income, 2ity of $oronto, 5elati#e to the $oronto 2MA, (DE'?&''. (& Figure &/FA Percentage of Bisible Minorities by &''G 2ensus $racts (C Figure &/.A Gentrifiable and Gentrifying 2ensus $racts in $oronto, (DG(?&''G (F #i 2+AP$15 ( )%TR&D*#TI&% Amber Balley in Alberta ,Bernon &'(F- and +oganHs Alley in Bancou#er, 9ritish 2olumbia ,2ompton &''.- are t3o instances of neglect or purposeful erasure of 9lac! communities in 2anada/ In $oronto, the Grange neighbourhood(, 9athurst and 9loor&, and more recently 5egent Par!C,F are other 9lac! communities that ha#e had similar e:periences. "nfortunately, the factors that hea#ily contributed to the disappearance of these 9lac! 2anadian communities both physically and from the narrati#e of 2anadian history are currently present in $orontoIs 4ittle 7amaica/ 4ocated <ust 3est of the geographic centre of the city of $oronto, the historical significance of $orontoIs 4ittle 7amaica has been as a transnational ethnic encla#e; a space for ne3 immigrants and successi#e generations of the 2aribbean diaspora to connect 3ith home/ ItHs a JKmeeting placeI, L3ithM intersections of Kparticular bundles of acti#ity spaces, of connections and interrelations, of inNuences and mo#ementsI/// set 3ithin a 3ider spaceO ,Massey and 7ess (DD., &()-/ ItIs a liminal space 3here one o=en finds that the cultural practices that define one's sense of self are inNuenced <ust enough by your ne3 surroundings to ensure your estrangement from ‘bac!?homeI and your (/ 2amille $urner, Performance Artist, JMiss 2anadiana's +eritage and 2ulture Sho3A 0e +idden 9lac! +istory of the GrangeO, curated by 1arl Miller for Pueen @est 9IA, 9ut of Site e:hibition, $oronto, %6, &'('/ &/ 5oyson 7ames, J5oots of $orontoIs blac! community run deeper than you might thin!A 7ames,O &oronto Star: 6o#ember 12, 2016, accessed March 23, &'(E, httpsAQQ333/thestar/com/ne3sQcity_hallQ&'(GQ((Q(&Qroots?of? torontos?blac!?community?run?deeper?than?you?might?thin!?<ames/html/ C/ Soe McTnight, J5egent Par! 5esidents find relocation unfair,O &oronto Star: May C, 2014, accessed May 22, 2017, httpsAQQ333/thestar/com/ne3sQgta/&'(FQ'.Q'CQregent_par!_residents_find_relocation_unfair/html/ F/ 6o#ako#ic, Stefan, J2hec!ing in on 5egent Par! 5e#italization Progress,O 6rban Toronto: March 4, 2016, May 22, 2017, httpAQQurbantoronto/ca/ne3sQ&'(GQ'CQchec!ing?regent?par!?re#italization?progress/ ( ne3 surroundings, simultaneously/ 4ittle 7amaica also embodies Iain 2hambersI description of the e:perience of an immigrant finding oneIs self in an unfamiliar place in 3hich you are sub<ect to continuous changes around you of 3hich you ha#e no control, and constantly negotiating 3here you K9elongI ,(DDF, G-/ 0e cluster of 7amaican businesses that ha#e been present along $orontoIs 1glinton A#e/ @est for roughly the last F' years, mostly concentrated bet3een Marlee A#e/ and %a!3ood A#e, is disappearing/ 0is area, colloquially !no3n as 4ittle 7amaica, is #ery di;erent no3 from the li#ely space in 7enny 9urmanHs description of a bus ride along 1glinton A#enue @est/ She describes it from the perspecti#e of someone riding in the 1glinton bus, JFrom the 3indo3, a bus tra#eller/// catches fleeting glimpses of signs.// A collection of fragments—Port 5oyal restaurant, Gus's $ropical Foods.//, 5APID 51MIT$AN21, 6atural $ouch hair design, the colours of the 7amaican flag/ +orns hon!, $re Stelle truc!s bloc! the road ,there are many Italian businesses on this strip too-, LandM dance-hall gro3ls from $reasure Isle 5ecords. LItM smells li!e curry, then Pi88a Pi88a, then <er!> al3ays 3ith an e:haust undercurrent/ All this inflected by/// the sound of patois, the accents of the 2anadian?born, the patois of the 2anadian?born ,adopted consciously, LasM a gesture of aVnity-/ 0e rider could get o; at this point to 3al! the last fe3 bloc!s among fello3 3al!ers and ob<ects ,piles, barrels, rac!s of stu; spilling out on the side-3al!-/ 0is may be K2aribbeannessI or K7amaicannessI to an e:tent, not a stable thing but a collaborati#ely produced heat?3arped mirage, sold and consumed, spo!en and mo#ed, seen, heard and tasted/ $o a passer?by 3ho is not addressed, it is apprehended in & fragments, ta!en in through all the senses but in no real 3ay HunderstoodH for ethnographic translationO ,9urman &'(', (DG-/ @ithin the past fe3 years many businesses ha#e closed lea#ing behind empty store fronts, 3hile others ha#e been either replaced by other businesses or displaced by the construction of ne3 4ight 5ail $ransit ,45$- stations. @ith the decline of businesses, there has also been a decline in the Jcollaborati#e production of ethnicityO ,ibid/-> the smells, sights, sounds, and acti#ity of a busy mar!etplace are not present as they once 3ere/ 2ollecti#ely, the pre#ious disin#estment in this area, its location along a prominent through3ay, and its pro:imity to ma<or transit points seems to ha#e made it a prime candidate for ne3 de#elopment/ S&/&;!;7& 9F &$; PR9*8;! @al!ing through 4ittle 7amaica, there is a star! di;erence bet3een the #isual representation of the old and ne3 elements and hints of broader societal implications behind the drastic shift in its cultural space. As a graphic designer and second generation 7amaican immigrant, 3hat I sa3 #isiting there made me question my understanding of the role and impact of design in relation to li#ed experiences that 3ere closer to my o3n/ For me, it seemed clear that 4ittle 7amaica 3as being erased and that design in a broad sense—from signage and ad#ertisements to architecture and urban systems designUhad something to do 3ith it/ PURPOS; 9F &$; S&6,< As a 9lac!, second?generation 7amaican immigrant in 2anada, I understand my personal e:perience to be one that is simultaneously disconnected from 2anadian culture and 2aribbean C culture/ I also understand that my e:perience is o#erloo!ed in the conflation of 9lac!ness in 2anada 3ith 9lac!ness in the "S.