Research grounded in community, advancing knowledge for more just urban futures.
The work of crisis framing: Claims of social justice obscuring a history and, likely future, of uneven investment in Moss Park, Toronto
The Work of Crisis Framing by Keisha St. Louis-McBurnie, Nikki Mary Pagaling, and David J. Roberts (University of Toronto) examines how Moss Park has been portrayed as a neighbourhood “in crisis” to justify the $100-million More Moss Park revitalization. Drawing on media analysis and community interviews, the authors argue that social justice rhetoric can obscure a history of uneven investment and risk deepening existing inequalities.
Neoliberalizing Social Justice in Infrastructure Revitalization Planning: Analyzing Toronto's More Moss Park Project in Its Early Stages
Neoliberalizing Social Justice in Infrastructure Revitalization Planning by David J. Roberts (University of Toronto) and John Paul Catungal (University of British Columbia) examines the early stages of Toronto’s More Moss Park project. The authors argue that the initiative frames social justice as both goal and method, while advancing a public–private model that technicalizes equity, normalizes anonymous philanthropy, and uses narratives of crisis to justify departures from traditional planning processes.