Urban Change in Moss Park

Since 2015, Professor David Roberts has worked alongside Toronto’s Moss Park community to navigate the complexities of urban redevelopment. What began as a critique of the failed More Moss Park public-private partnership evolved into a long-term commitment to the Moss Park Coalition. 

The Coalition works to ensure that the neighbourhood’s evolution – including the arrival in 2031 of the Ontario Line subway – prioritizes the needs of current residents over speculative property investment. By centering community voices, the coalition aims to transform transit-led development from a driver of displacement into an opportunity for localized social and economic growth. 

Further reading: 

Publications
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: 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.

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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: 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.

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