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In 2005, some of Regent Park's original buildings were torn down to make way for new, mixed-income residences.Kevin Van Paassen

Kevin MacKinnon knows all about the privileged world of the rich. His workplace is one of the posh hotels in Yorkville, the kind where high-maintenance Hollywood actors stay.

A front-desk manager, he looks the part, neatly turned out with clipped blond hair, a grey pinstripe suit and plaid tie. He is 26, friendly, a Kingston boy doing well in the big city.

And he just bought his first home, a one-bedroom condo - in Regent Park.

On Monday, hundreds of Mr. MacKinnon's fellow condo dwellers will begin moving into One Cole, a glass-and-red-brick tower there whose slogan - "One changes everything" - could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

For the first time since the notorious public-housing complex opened more than 50 years ago, middle-class homeowners will put down roots in the community. If they thrive there, it will be easier to sell the future condos and townhouses on which the 15-year, $1-billion revitalization of the neighbourhood depends. More importantly, it will augur well for the dream of a truly mixed Regent Park where people from different income brackets walk their dogs in the same park and drop their children at the same daycare.

But if that dream is to come true, the new residents will have to commit to building a community.

"Are they going to get involved with the neighbourhood like most of the residents seem to now, or are they basically going to just come and sleep and eat and go somewhere else to socialize?" asked Neil Clarke, echoing residents' concerns. Mr. Clarke, who has lived in the public housing complex for 20 years, is the community co-ordinator at the Regent Park Neighbourhood Initiative, which is involved in the redevelopment.

Altruism may not have been the main motivation for the condo buyers, who snapped up studio apartments at One Cole for as little as $160,000, and $460,000 for three bedrooms. The building is more than 90 per cent sold out.

Mr. MacKinnon, for one, says first-time-buyer perks - including an interest- and payment-free loan and environmental features - drew him to the building.

However, he's become a diligent student of the redevelopment philosophy since investing in his suite. Eager and well spoken, he vows to be part of the transformation. "I think the changes they're doing in the neighbourhood are positive ones and it's exciting to be part of that change," he says.

Mr. MacKinnon sees himself as an ambassador for an area he was encouraged to avoid when he arrived in Toronto a few years ago.

Regent Park has long been considered one of the dodgiest parts of Toronto.

Instead of banks or supermarkets, money-transfer outlets and convenience stores with barred windows dot the neighbourhood. Cameras are mounted on dilapidated buildings. A peace garden mourns the local young men who have died violently.

Not far from the garden, a mural captures Regent Park's relationship with the rest of the city: It depicts the CN Tower and skyscrapers on one side, mourners at a gravesite on the other, and a rift in the earth in the middle.

Regent Park was considered a vast improvement over the slums it replaced in the 1950s. Its design flaws quickly became apparent, however. The 28-hectare (69-acre) site's maze of cul de sacs, rather than creating a serene environment, discouraged the installation of businesses and the accompanying foot traffic, creating ideal conditions for drug dealing and prostitution.

Regent Park's design is not its only challenge. According to Toronto Community Housing, which will continue to own all the rental buildings and property in the redeveloped Regent Park, fewer than 150 families in the 7,500-resident community earn more than $30,000 each year, making it one of the country's poorest neighbourhoods. Many are on social assistance, and all receive rent subsidies.

The six-phase revitalization project, which kicked off in 2005 with the demolition of the original buildings[LJ's add: TRUE?] aims to connect residents with a different demographic. Regent Park's population will jump to 12,500 as higher-income newcomers move into new buildings in the community, which has been reconfigured to do away with dead-end streets.

Such changes are "going to make Regent Park a much, much friendlier, inviting neighbourhood," says Nancy McLean, a sergeant with Toronto Police Service's 51 Division, which patrols Regent Park.

While that should be welcome news for the new tenants, the neighbourhood is still clearly a work in progress. The park behind One Cole, for example, is full of weeds and random bits of trash. It's hard to imagine the new residents will spend much time there, especially when they have a beautiful 20,000-square-foot park on the third floor of their development, complete with grass and barbecues. The community centre, a few streets southeast, has a cramped gym and no pool. A new park, indoor swimming pool, and community centre won't be ready for a few more years.

What happens if the newcomers and the current residents keep to their own groups? Read between the lines of the revitalization planning reports and it's clear that would be a setback. If all goes well, Regent Park residents will benefit from a greater range of economic resources and social networks, according to Toronto Community Housing. If not "the risk of social stress grows."

Mr. Clarke's organization is hoping to bridge the gap that threatens to divide the community, working with other agencies to create a helpful website and information packets about the area's amenities and programs. As well, Toronto Community Housing plans to create a neighbourhood association that will host community mixers such as barbecues when summer comes.

Safa is one long-time Regent Park resident eager to welcome One Cole's tenants. A warm and hopeful woman who nevertheless did not want to give her last name, she says the changes will be good for the area's security and economic life.

"If the rich and poor walk together it is good," Safa said as her little grandson tugged on her clothes to take him inside her home. She added that maybe he will have a "good future" because of new Regent Park.

Another opportunity to mingle may present itself when some well-known retailers enter Regent Park. A Sobeys grocery store, an RBC branch, and a Tim Hortons will all open their doors in One Cole next year. The latter could become the community meeting spot as people pop in for a double-double and doughnut.

"Everyone is very happy about the Tim Hortons," says Liz Root, project director for the revitalization at Toronto Community Housing.

Perhaps the biggest catalyst for integration, though, will be the families that move into One Cole, which was built with a lot of suitably large units. Families tend to stay put, and their children become friends.

"That's a wonderful thing for bringing people together and having them socialize," says Mr. Clarke. "You kind of have to say at least hello."

Everyone emphasizes that all this will take time. The question is whether people will be patient enough to wait. So far, about a third of Regent Park's residents displaced by the first phase of redevelopment have decided to leave for other new public-housing developments downtown. Zahra Ali, originally from Somalia, has lived in Regent Park for three years with her four children and husband, but hopes to move out soon. She is fed up with the mould on her wall, and scared of the drug dealers in front of her building.

"I don't feel safe at all," says Ms. Ali, who is training to be a nursing assistant. "If I get a house today, I'm moving."

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