Public and Social Housing

The postwar period witnessed a growing interest in social welfare planning. In Toronto, Regent Park was built in 1947, followed in the 1960s by Moss Park and Alexandra Park. In the growing suburban areas, the newly formed Metropolitan Toronto and the province became the main forces in the development and management of public housing.

In the 1970s, increasing concerns arose over the concentration of low-income families in large-scale projects, their excessively bureaucratic administrations, and the wholesale expropriation and destruction of downtown neighbourhoods. This resulted in the development of alternative non-profit and co-operative approaches to social housing.