How To Make Gentrification Work

A recent controversy in Montreal might shed light on how to tame gentrification.

1 minute read

March 13, 2006, 8:00 AM PST

By Kilgore Trout


In a famously poor neighbourhood, but one rich with diverse inhabitants and polyglot architecture, a debate is simmering over the effects of gentrification. Maisonneuve urban affairs columnist Christopher DeWolf heads to Montreal's Saint-Henri, where new condo projects are whipping up the passions of residents over the future of their neighbourhood. Housing activists want a moratorium on new condo development, even if those condos include affordable housing. DeWolf asks if this is a wise approach. "Gentrification is a complicated process. If left unchecked, it can have devastating consequences. But a government committed to social housing can manage it effectively -- even if that means working with developers to built that housing."

Thanks to Phillip Todd

Wednesday, March 8, 2006 in Maisonneuve

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