select an urban neighbourhood within Toronto or its urban region that you are familiar with. It can be a
neighbourhood where you currently live, have resided in the past, or one that you have visited or regularly visit.
Neighbourhoods are small units of a city – not the city itself. For example, Scarborough is not considered to be a
neighbourhood because it is a large urban area made up by individual neighbourhoods (ie. Guildwood, West Hill,
Agincourt). Please think about the small area where you live and the name that is given to this particular area. If
you do not live in or are not familiar with urban neighbourhood in Toronto or its urban region, please select an
urban neighbourhood that is well known and has existing literature about it, and one that you are able to visit
with some ease. Some examples in Toronto are: Malvern, Kingston-Galloway/Orton Park, Scarborough Village,
Regent Park, Kensington Market, the Annex, Riverdale, Weston, Willowdale, and Mimico. Please consult with
the course instructor if you are unsure or would like advice about selecting a neighbourhood.
The assignment allows you to act as the primary researcher and observer by addressing and incorporating your
own observations about community issues and needs in an urban neighbourhood. Your personal observations
and analyses will be strengthened by reference to lecture materials and course readings to date. Please feel free
to use the first person (“I”) to discuss your observations and analyses. Your personal observations and analyses
should then be linked with scholarly writing and existing research data. You should incorporate additional
information about your chosen urban neighbourhood that might be in the form of demographic information
(the City of Toronto creates neighbourhood profiles with demographic information based on statistical data that
can be accessed online, for example) and media sources (city-wide and local newspapers, video news reports,
etc).
You should visit and walk around your chosen neighbourhood to observe the surroundings and community
issues (i.e. quality of housing, existence of street life, community activities, transit provision, presence of
community centres, libraries, types of commercial spaces, etc.). IMPORTANT: *If you do not feel safe walking in
the neighbourhood please arrange for a classmate or friend to accompany you or select a neighbourhood that
you feel comfortable visiting *
Within the paper you are to answer/address the following questions. You are not expected to answer the
questions sequentially, but rather should incorporate them into the organization of your paper based on how
you choose to structure your work. Please try to connect and support your observations and analyses to lecture
material and readings in the course to date.
2
1) Where is the neighbourhood located and does it have a formal name?
2) What are the political, environmental, and/or social boundaries of the neighbourhood? How are these
boundaries identified/identifiable?
• Political boundaries: noticeably created by government (ie through streets, planning, and/or
policies)
• Environmental boundaries: demarcated by biophysical terrain (ie. ravines, valleys, parks,
waterfronts, rivers, etc.)
• Social boundaries: created by individual, community, and/or stigma – how a neighbourhood’s
identity and territory is socially imagined and constructed
3) What types of communities do you identify in the neighbourhood? (ie. faith-based communities,
residential communities, business communities, community-based organizations, sports communities)
4) What types of community infrastructure do you observe in the neighbourhood? (ie schools, libraries,
parks, community centres, community health centres, recreation centres, places of worship).
5) How (in what ways) does this community infrastructure help to inform your understanding about the
neighbourhood? (i.e. if your neighbourhood does not have any green park space, what can that tell you
about your neighbourhood?). Be analytical!
6) In your opinion, what are the main problems/issues of concern in the neighbourhood?
7) How do your opinions connect with existing literature about this neighbourhood, if available (i.e.
demographic data, neighbourhood profiles, and/or discussions in the media)?
8) What solutions would you, as a student in a City Studies course, propose to address these
problems/issues of concern? In what ways could the communities within the neighbourhood address
these problems/issues?
9) How does your research connect with lecture material and readings in the course to date and how (in
what ways) does it inform your understanding of urban communities?

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