Richard Florida plots the geography of class on a map of Toronto to show the deep economic divisions at work in an almost "completely post industrial," city.
"Higher-paying, higher skill creative class jobs are concentrated in a T-shape radiating out of the downtown core of the city." Lower wage and skill jobs surround this formation and spread to the outskirts of the city, where they mix with just a couple of neighborhoods where working class jobs are still dominant.
Florida believes the location of these jobs helps to understand the increasingly class-polarized politics and current mayor's race.
He advises that "Toronto needs to come to grips with its growing class divide, and to develop strategies that can begin to address it if it wants to retain the tolerance, social cohesion, and commitments to social justice which have so long been its hallmarks."
FULL STORY: Toronto's Geography of Class
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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American Planning Association, Sustainable Communities Division
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
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Newport County Development Council: Connect Greater Newport
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