Swot Analysis Of South Riverdale

The city of Toronto has been recognized worldwide as a multicultural city. In fact, it is constituted by neighbourhoods with a variety of profiles which are the result of social processes like immigration. In 1884, the areas of Leslieville and Riverside were incorporated as a whole zone, forming the neighbourhood of South Riverdale. It is located at the east of the downtown core, bounded at the north by Gerrard Street, south by Queen Street, east by Greenwood Avenue, and west by Don Valley Pkwy. Since its inception, South Riverdale has followed a dynamic process of change that has generated its current profile. In fact, observations and data from demographic, socio-cultural and economic perspectives have revealed a tendency of gentrification

Firstly, by comparing the averages of the household income of the neighbourhood with the total average of the Toronto city between 1981 and 2011, it is evident the increment of householders’ income. Through looking to the Census data of 1981, South Riverdale had an average income of $22,326 whereas Toronto presented an average of $27,476. One cause for the big difference between Toronto and South Riverdale average income is the fact that the neighbourhood was formed by low-income population specifically in Leslieville and the west zone. As Walks claims, South Riverdale in 1981 was formed by working class who labored in the factories near the zone. In contrast, in 2011, the household average income of the zone was $45,331 meanwhile Toronto’s mean was $44,517. In fact, the data displays that the neighbourhood has surpassed the overall average of the city, showing that population with good salaries have moved to the neighborhood. One reason for this movement is that gentrification has created a new environment in the zone, allowing an increment of population with better income. Van Criekingen states that the flow of high-income members has been reflected in the investment of developers in the area and therefore the raise of housing market. For instance,

Actually, it has been affected by gentrification in several areas of its territory; however, other zones have avoided and prevented the advance of gentrified zones as a result of factors such as ethnicity or environmental issues. As a final point, it can be argued that South Riverdale presents a general profile for a continuous process of gentrification, bringing not only development to the neighbourhood but also problems to low-income citizens who continue to live within a city that grows more every time. Gentrification provides positive as negative effects to an area; however, control of its practice should be addressed by planners in order to benefit not only specific groups but the whole