Why Canadian Cities Avoided Detroit's Fate

Simply put, this scholar says, it comes down to race. With far fewer non-white urban residents, Canadian cities didn't fall prey to the redlining, white flight, and incarceration problems that so heavily impacted cities like Detroit.

1 minute read

October 5, 2018, 2:00 PM PDT

By Philip Rojc @PhilipRojc


Detroit Vacant Properties

alisafarov / Shutterstock

According to Jason Hackworth, a professor of urban geography at the University of Toronto, there's one big difference why cities like Detroit suffered while Canadian cities like Toronto did not, despite their similar economies. 

John Gallagher writes, "The more [Hackworth] looked, the more one big difference between Canada and the United States emerged: It came down to race. Put simply, U.S. cities tend to have large black and other non-white populations and Canadian cities do not." In U.S. cities, an influx of non-whites led to a white backlash, encompassing flight to the suburbs, redlining, biased criminal justice practices, and the like. Compounded with economic decline, those factors landed cities like Detroit in deep trouble.

Historical Canadian policy, on the other hand, "made sure black and other non-white populations remained small. Restrictive covenants in real estate sales, and an immigration policy that specifically gave preference to white people, kept the black population small." 

Gallagher concludes, "Simply put, in Canada, white people never felt as threatened by a rising non-white population because there just weren't that many non-whites coming into cities like Windsor or Toronto. Hence, no Detroits in Canada."

Friday, September 28, 2018 in The Detroit Free Press

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

July 6, 2025 - Next City

Tunnel for pedestrians, bikes, and buses in Lyon, France lit up with purple lights.

The French Solution to Congested Tunnels: Make Them Car-Free

Bay Area transportation officials keep expanding car capacity. Lyon’s Croix Rousse Tunnel offers a different way.

5 hours ago - Streetsblog San Francisco

Missouri state Rep. Chris Brown speaking in government chamber.

Missouri Governor Reverses Anti-Discrimination Housing Policies

A new state law bars cities from prohibiting source-of-income discrimination against tenants using Section 8 housing vouchers.

5 hours ago - Missouri Independent

Pedestrians crossing a rainbow painted crosswalk in New York City.

USDOT Launches Unfunded 'SAFE ROADS' Program

The program targets “distractions” and “political messages or artwork,” and paves the way for autonomous vehicles.

6 hours ago - Urban Milwaukee