Regent Park is the largest social housing neighbourhood built in Canada’s history, with a layered history of development through several eras. Since 2005, it has been undergoing extensive revitalization, moving towards a more mixed-use and mixed-income neighbourhood. To celebrate the neighbourhoods history, Toronto Community Housing Corporation commissioned ERA to design a commemoration strategy. The strategy’s goal was to promote awareness and understanding of Regent Park’s cultural heritage value, including its planning history, built form, and community identity.

The strategy outlines tools such as signage, a scale model installation, building outline markers, and a digital story collection to illustrate the reoccurring themes and stories born out of this collaborative community interpretation. The strategy set out a flexible commemoration framework in order to accommodate future perspectives and experiences.

The process focused on understanding, and making use of, both community knowledge and individual stories. Ultimately, the commemoration will illuminate the memories, traditions, values, and identities of former, current, and future residents of Regent Park within a rapidly-changing urban landscape.