Patrick Kniss

Recreation, Place & Urban Revitalization: A Case Study of the Regent Park Aquatics Centre & Scadding Court Community Recreation Centre ©2014

Structured recreation has been found to benefit the social development of youth. Public spaces such as recreation centres are important venues for grounding these social interactions and networks through the production of place. Unrestricted access to public space is vital for place-making among urban youth, particularly those living in low-income households who rely on the affordability of public amenities. Yet, for low-income households living in public housing neighbourhood undergoing mixed-income revitalization, the transformation from public to a mix of public/semi-private/private spaces often results in barriers to accessibility (whether perceived or actual) and the destruction of place. This research investigates two publicly funded municipal pool facilities in Toronto, the Regent Park Aquatics Centre and Scadding Court Community Recreation Centre, each serving a project housing neighbourhood undergoing mixed-income revitalization. Through a mix of quantitative and qualitative data, this study examines both youth accessibility to these facilities and their role in place-making. Results suggest general accessibility to both facilities by youth from low-income households. Furthermore, the Scadding Court CRC appears to have a greater propensity to attract youth patrons from its respective revitalization neighbourhoods as well as areas adjacent to the facility while the Regent Park AC has a greater tendency to attract youth patrons from outside its theoretical service area and from the service areas of other municipal pool facilities.

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