From Revitalisation to Revaluation in the Spence Neighbourhood

This is a look at the state of one neighbourhood, and how it is changing. It is about who has been responsible for this change, and what patterns have been set in motion. It is a study about who has the power to initiate change, what groups lack this power, and how they can achieve it. This is a study of who loses and who benefits from neighbourhood change, and how a more equitable future can be achieved for these groups.

Equity and justice—in the sense of achieving fair outcomes for all social groups—are founding principles of this study. Neighbourhood and neighbourhood meaning are founding concepts. The importance of space, and neighbourhood, to the principle of social justice follows from these convictions.

This study is a project of the Manitoba Research Alliance (MRA), which strives to assist in the transformation of inner-city and Aboriginal communities debilitated by persistent poverty and social exclusion. Focusing on the second of the MRA’s four major themes— justice, safety and security; neighbourhood revitalization and housing; skill- and capacity-building and employment; and community economic development—this study presents a critical perspective on neighbourhood revitalization and its tendency in practice to benefit some while penalizing others.
In order to achieve socially just revitalization, inner-city communities must be transformed for existing low-income residents, rather than for property owners and incoming higher-income groups.