Subdivided: City-Building in an Age of Hyper-Diversity

by Jay Pitter (editor), John Lorinc (Editor)

Using Toronto as a case study, Subdivided asks how cities would function if decision-makers genuinely accounted for race, ethnicity, and class when confronting issues such as housing, policing, labor markets, and public space. With essays contributed by an array of city-builders, it proposes solutions for fully inclusive communities that respond to the complexities of a global city.

Jay Pitter is a writer and professor based in Toronto. She holds a Masters in Environmental Studies from York University.

John Lorinc is a Toronto-based journalist who writes about urban affairs, politics, and business. He co-edited The The Life and Loss of Toronto's First Immigrant Neighbourhood (Coach House, 2015).

Genres: Nonfiction, Urban Planning, Urbanism, Social, Design, Urban Studies

281 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 7, 2016

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting and thought-provoking series of essays discussing hyper-diversity and city building/planning, using Toronto as a case study. The book aims to go beyond Toronto's motto "diversity is our strength" by delving deeper into whether the city has been truly serving its diverse population. Essays range from the fraught nature of arts funding for at-risk youth, the ways in which Toronto has failed the inner suburbs, the failure of city council to accurately represent the city it serves, the need for better transit, building dignified social housing, and more. Recommend both for Torontonians and anyone interested in reading about the many issues facing cities today. this was published in 2016 but nothing has truly changed since then.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of essays raises more questions than it answers, but that's probably a good thing. This is a complex topic, and I liked the way the writers avoided the platitudes we have got used to hearing. Although some of the essays might have benefited from more development, I was generally struck by the amount of thought that went in to this book at all stages -- selection of authors, writing, and editing.

[melhara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first came across Jay Pitter earlier this year when she published A Call to Courage: An Open Letter to Canadian Urbanist which had me reflecting on racial equity in my workplace and in the work that I do. I ended up going over this letter and discussing many of the topics and issues raised in this book with my mentor, as we tried to work out issues and potential improvements that we can implement in our practice and in the communities that we live and work in.

Subdivided is a collection of essays with a focus on hyper-diversity in the Greater Toronto Area. The GTA has been lauded as being the most diverse area in Canada (and maybe even in North America) and it is something that Canadians and Torontonians are extremely proud of. But the GTA isn't just diverse, it's hyper-diverse, with "an intense diversification of the population in socio-economic, social and ethnic terms, but also with respect to lifestyles, attitudes and activities" (p.8). This hyper-diversity creates challenges for city-builders/politicians/placemakers to properly identify and address the disparities that may exist across all of these intersecting identities.

As someone who has lived and worked in three different (and very ethnic) areas of the GTA (Brampton, Scarborough, and Markham), I found these essays to be poignant, eye-opening, informative, and a very accurate depiction of issues that still need to be addressed in the GTA.

Each essay in this book focuses on a social issue that stems from hyper-diversity. Although it does not offer too many solutions, it really sheds lights on issues in need of being addressed and improved upon. These topics include improvements to immigrant and refugee resettlement (including the effects of market-based housing segregation p.43, allowing non-citizens the right to vote p.45, as well as access to education p.103), engaging and building relationships with Indigenous groups (p. 46), combatting racism that appears in the form of NIMBYism (the Meadowvale Islamic Centre in Mississauga and the Wong Dai Sin Taoist Tai Chi Temple in Markham discussed in one of these essays are actually case studies that I went over with my mentor in great detail when discussing racism in the planning practices), mental health in bipoc communities, neighbourhood watch and racial profiling (this is a huge issue in my community), policing, arts funding for social development, designing dignified social housing (with some emphasis on the revitalization of Regent Park), broadening community engagement amongst low-income or racialized minorities, gentrification, transit and mobility, and local government representation (p.229).

Earlier this year, as I was researching ways I can address racism in my planning practice, I came across an article from Amina Yasin titled Whose Streets? Black Streets. Yasin urges planners to avoid reliance on the CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) principle of "eyes on the streets" or neighbourhood watch/community policing because it could encourage racial profiling and discrimination. There is an essay within this anthology by Asmaa Malik that sheds light on the dangers of neighbourhood watch and virtual neighbourhood watch groups (like neighbourhood WhatsApp and Facebook groups) and how it could make black residents feel unsafe in their own neighbourhoods.

"If Black people are systematically being closely watched while shopping, it follows that store owners are more likely to find more Black shoplifters. This is the same dynamic playing out in social media neighbourhood groups.

'Necessarily, if police are focusing on one group, they're going to catch more people from that group,' says psychologist Glaser. Ironically, while those in the targeted population may be getting disproportionately punished, those not targeted may be offending more. Glaser recalled a lab experiment in which white students in an exam situation were told that Black students were going to be observed more closely for cheating. The result? The white students cheated more than the Black students." (p.97)

'Eyes on the street' is supposed to contribute towards creating a safe space within a neighbourhood and is a concept that was drilled into planning students. What I realize now, is that it inadvertently promotes stereotyping and discriminating against bipocs and low-income people.

Racial profiling is just one of the many issues that planners, urbanists and local politicians can work on eliminating. There is much that still can be done to make GTA neighbourhoods more inclusive and safe for everyone regardless of socio-economic or cultural differences.


This is a book that I know I will be re-reading throughout the course of my career as a municipal planner. The case studies and statistics found in these essays are extremely relevant for anyone who lives or works in the GTA.

I've included a bunch of page numbers in my review (which I don't normally do) because I know those are pages that I will want to bookmark and revisit when I buy my own copy of this book.

*** #19 of my 2020 Popsugar Reading Challenge - A book set in a country beginning with "C" ***

[André · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the last several months, I read Scarborough, Policing Black Lives and Brother. I also watched the documentary Eastern. They prepared me for what I read in Subdivided. As a racialized urban planner, you begin to notice privilege in how we plan and engage with our communities, plan and fund transit, and create social spaces. I got to meet Jay Pitter in a span of 2 days in the midst of reading her and John Lorinc's book. The prevalent themes as told by lived experiences, which is something planners, social scientists and some politicians aren't accustomed knowing or caring about. All walks of life should read this book. I certainly hope this book is part of the course material in planning, journalism or any sociology program. Strongly recommended.

[Shambe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Think you know your Toronto??? Think again. I read this book as a bookclub read and was pleasantly surprised at the way the facts and intricacies of city building in Toronto were revealed in such an easy to read manor. We had an amazing bookclub discussion at the end of novel that touched on race, history of our city and some hot controversies. Definitely recommend this read!

[Dan Seljak · Rating 5 out of 5]

An impressive collection of essays and stories. Affecting and thought-provoking. Has already had an impact on the work I do.

[Richmond Uy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I took so god damn long to finish this book cause my last job made me hate thinking of the local urban planning scene in Toronto and especially fake progressives who are in it (funny enough, one of them involved in this book).

Anyways, this book is mainly a mixed bag. i think this book definitely brings up some rlly good outlooks and POVs that are not often discussed in the urban planning space. the chapters that particular got me thinking of ways we need to emphasize placemaking in would be the ones that discuss social housing, transit and refugee placements. however a good chunk of this book still falls in some rhetorical trappings of relying so much on shallow representative politics, which oddly enough the book likes to make an argument to stay away from through it's opening paragraphs and chapter headings.

I also feel as if they don't really balance some of the qualitative stories really well with the commentary of the authors. i definitely commend it more in other housing advocate books that evoke strong storytelling imagery to draw out a strong emotional response from the audience (Evicted is a good book that does that). Not only does this book lack that, but it also lacks a lot of satisfying answers to these stories, merely stating that these situations exists.

Idk. not rlly one of my favourite books on this. But again maybe im biased. i rlly in the last year got a distaste for this space in the past year. maybe my mind will change in a year.

[Lyn Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

All day my brain thinks about circles and how everything is intermingled with each other. This book was a good reminder of what exactly goes on in my brain when I start spiraling and think about the world's end.

Pitter bridges city design and place-making (inclusionary process for newcomers and immigrants) by speaking on concepts of culture, health, education, police, governmental systems. Pitter sources many authors to share their insight on a specific topic which strengths her argument on necessary means for collaboration of diverse thought. Pitter asks you to rethink specific language around diversity and poses different solutions that undermine past logic. Published in 2016, reading this nearly 10 years later fills me up with necessary hope of educated peoples working toward a realistic progressive goal.

I don't often read books like this, but I stayed engaged as the concepts weren't too difficult to understand and as living in a city for the past couple years, have finally found words that I can attach to the feelings I feel daily. Wow life is complex and full of endless layers.

This book focuses mainly on Toronto which was really exciting for me as I had just visited the day before I started reading.

[Lauren White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally got around to reading this - feels a bit outdated being published in 2016, but I enjoyed the essay-style format and reading about different urban planning themes related to diversity and multiculturalism. It felt more philosophical, asking questions about planning for hyper-diversity rather than providing concrete solutions, but it was well written and had diverse contributions both in topics and writers.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight from a variety of GTA city builders.

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some fascinating essays.

[Nick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really bad