Regent Park: Social Outcast?

I think I'm naive....or sheltered. I don't know, there I am living in the suburbs all my life, and here I am now walking the streets of Regent Park, this infamous bad area place near our school....but I don't get it, it's not that bad? Am I missing something here? In fact I feel pretty stupid that I'm so sheltered..or naive, haven't decided yet, that I haven't walked the streets of downtown toronto more often enough to discover these cute little cafe's that exist here. I've been going to Ryerson for almost four years now and I haven't discovered these old black bricked churches, or small town apartment buildings yet? Why???

Oh that's right because I always go to the same "lighted" areas in Toronto where most people go to like Richmond, or Adelaide or Queen street....never Regeant Park....no...no THAT place.

In fact, I remember when I was a fresh-faced first year at Ryerson University, and it was my second week into j-skool, an ex boyfriend of mine picked me up from my class and we were going out for lunch and we drove past Regent Park, he told me "look down that street" pointing to either Shuter or Gerard, I can't remember, so I did and i said "yea" and he said, make sure you NEVER go down there...that's Regent Park, bad BAD area...close to Parkdale also...makes it even worse. I just looked at him like are you serious???.....so I never went.....

And the first thought that hit me as I was walking down was woah...this is quite a bustling little part of town indeed. It was so...what's the word.....old? The first question that I had was, I wonder what this looked like way back in the day? Who lived here, was it the working class of toronto,or the rich? Walking down Shuter I see these incredible churches that have grown old over the years, but you can tell were popular way back in the day, and I can help but just wonder what made this area so notorious for being dangerous? ....and then I hear the sirens getting louder and louder and I walk towards Jarvis Street....it's an ambulance and it turns the corner onto Jarvis Street, stops, and then rushes off again. The irony wasn't lost on me.

Another irony not gone unnoticed...the mix of business professionals with their white ipod buds in their ears and laptop bags on their shoulders, walking idly past the white-faced, greased back hair of a middle-aged homeless man sleeping against the wall. I pass another homeless man with a party bag in his hand kicking at rocks. The dynamic of this place is unmissable. Regent Park has an old town feel which has been taken over by all the parking lots and Starbucks.

I pass a small apartment building with three men sitting and smoking out front and they stare at me as if they can tell I'm a new comer to their area and judging it closely. I feel like I should go home, but then I think that's a stupid thought. You know, I think I have this misconception that I don't belong here because it's a rough neighbourhood and I don't come from that, but walking around here it's really not that bad at all. Every neighbourhood in Toronto has it's ups and downs , but Regent Park has been cast as this social outcast of Toronto.

Walking along here, it leads me to thinking about some possible research questions such as all these businesses here and coffee places etc, are they affected by people's misconceptions of Regent Park, do they ever see or hear of any wrongdoings. What's business like for them in a part of Toronto that most people don't willingly come to?