MAP
MABELLE AVENUE PROJECT
Building the community we want with what we already have.
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MAP
MABELLE AVENUE PROJECT
Imagine a ribbon of activity and support along Mabelle Avenue, woven from existing community assets that have fallen into disrepair or been forgotten over the years.
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MABELLE AVENUE
is a high density block in Central Etobicoke comprised of seven large residential towers. Three towers are market rentals and four are predominately rent geared to income units operated by Toronto Community Housing. Over four thousand low-income people call this under-a-squarekilometer block home, many of whom are newcomers to Canada. The median income of Toronto Community Housing households is $18,398 which falls well below the City of Toronto median income of $65,829. In Toronto and around the world, municipal leaders and citybuilders have been exploring the latent potential of underused tower landscapes in inner-suburban neighbourhoods. Postwar apartment towers like those on Mabelle Avenue are the backbone of Canada’s purpose-built rental stock. The towers of Mabelle Avenue were built to house upwardly mobile, young professionals on their way to living a 1960s suburban family dream. Each building was designed with a series of public amenities for renters, but over the years, these spaces have fallen into disrepair. Some have remained locked and inaccessible to tenants for upwards of a decade. Today on Mabelle Avenue, three new towers are under construction (including the tallest in the Etobicoke skyline) and an additional fiftyfive story tower awaits approval. -5-
With hundreds of new residential units planned on Mabelle Avenue, we began to talk to residents about the challenges and opportunities new development might bring to the neighbourhood. -6-
The Mabelle Avenue Project was born out of these many conversations.
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Using Existing Amenities to Transform A Neighbourhood -8-
1 - Basement auditorium on the ground floor of 5005 Dundas St. West
3 - Common kitchenette located on the ground floor of 57 Mabelle Avenue
2- Open air courtyard adjacent to basement auditorium
4 - TCH pool located behind 57 Mabelle Avenue
MAP
MABELLE AVENUE PROJECT MABELLEarts is imagining a community centre created from existing assets, designed for and with local residents, community partners, and Toronto Community Housing. MAP will transform and animate underused Toronto Community Housing assets on Mabelle Avenue, connecting buildings and people: turning a neighbourhood into a community.
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BASEMENT AUDITORIUM •Afterschool arts drop-in •Makers/repair lab •Arts-based daycare staffed by local residents
COURTYARD
•Summer cafe space staffed by local residents
COMMON KITCHENETTE •Community kitchen for weekly batch cooking workshops •Homebase for emerging local businesses like snack stalls and resident-run cafe
TCH POOL
•Community cooling station •Swimming lessons •Mom and Tot swim club
MABELLE PARK
•Central hub for all MAP activities •Leadership centre •Art and nature workshops •Cultural events - 11 -
ONGOING ART EVENTS IN MABELLE PARK LED BY MABELLEARTS
MABELLE PA R K Mabelle Park was once a neglected thoroughfare, what residents referred to as “the quarantined zone.� After over ten years of collaboration led by MABELLEarts, with thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds as well as professional artists, architects, and builders, Mabelle Park is now a vibrant cultural hub and meeting place for the residents of Mabelle Avenue.
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MABELLE CLUBHOUSE Mabelle Park will become the central hub for all MAP activities, thanks to our friends at LGA Architects who have helped us design a multi-use clubhouse. The Mabelle Clubhouse will be a community leadership centre, hosting art and nature workshops and cultural events.
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SITE PLAN Since 2011, MABELLEarts has been working with residents, artists, architects, and builders to transform the Mabelle Park into a vibrant, cultural space for the entire neighbourhood. These final upgrades to Mabelle Park will ensure it can accommodate increased activity and involvement from local residents for years to come.
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H OW W E ’ L L D O IT MABELLEarts will support participation and leadership and help tenants articulate community program needs and desires. We’ll work with Toronto Community Housing to identify appropriate common spaces where community programs can be easily accessed by tenants and together we’ll ensure these spaces become beautiful, safe, accessible and animated. MABELLEarts will reach out to local partners who can offer additional programs and services aligned with community needs. We’ll manage program partnerships and make sure everyone is getting the support they need. MABELLEarts will continue to work closely with tenants to ensure programs and services remain responsive to community needs.
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We already have Since 2007, MABELLEarts has worked with thousands of residents of all ages and backgrounds to transform the Mabelle Park from a neglected thoroughfare into a vibrant park and cultural hub. In that time, many partners have stepped in to offer their support, including Toronto Pearson Airport, the City of Toronto and Mayor John Tory, all levels of government and the Islington Village BIA. - 19 -
B E N E F IT S
MABELLE AVENUE
is set to increase in density by over 50% in the next five years, fueled by privately-funded development. Multi-million-dollar revitalization investments in low-income neighbourhoods like Regent Park have helped ensure that all residents benefit from new development in their communities. The reality is that only a small fraction of neighbourhoods experiencing rapid development will receive similar levels of investment. MAP can provide many of the services and amenities of a full-scale neighbourhood revitalization, at a fraction of the cost. By harnessing existing spaces, developing innovative partnerships and engaging residents to take the lead, MAP will serve as a new model for communities in transition.
We already have these spaces. We already have each other. All that’s missing is you.
I N F O @ M A B E L L E A RT S .C A 416 239 4900 W W W. M A B E L L E A RT S .C A