Recently the East Scarborough Storefront published a report documenting a number of aspects of their path to neighbourhood renewal. Since the Storefront’s approach has proven so successful, this report is very valuable for other communities interested in making some positive changes to the neighbourhood.
Since the late 1990s, the East Scarborough Storefront has been facilitating community-driven services and initiatives to make the neighbourhood of Kingston Galloway / Orton Park a healthier, happier place to live. The successes of the Storefront are truly inspirational – the work of leaders, staff, residents, landlords, and third-party consultants has really paid off.
Together with resident volunteers and a whole range of stakeholders, the Storefront has managed in a fairly short time to build a great community hub with a community garden and kitchen, a multiuse sports court, and a number of fantastic landscape features, including the “Sky-o-swale” green-roof pavilion.
Having played a major role in numerous projects on site, ERA has enjoyed the chance to help build community by experimenting with public realm improvements in a non-development-driven scenario.
This new document, “The Tower Community that Could” reviews the Storefront story, and reports on a range of key learnings, basic principles and assumptions, and practical strategies for several important success factors, including:
- Resident-tenant working relationships
- Youth engagement
- Community design process
- New site amenities, and
- Next steps
It’s a wonderful success story and an excellent resource for all of us working on the ground towards Tower Renewal projects that make a difference!
Download the complete pdf from the Storefront online.
