Block by Block
Welcome to Block by Block. Block by Block is a community-led conversation about newcomers and neighbourhoods. We have begun the conversation with big questions. What makes a neighbourhood inclusive and livable for new immigrants and refugees? How have newcomers shaped Canadian neighbourhoods and staked a place in them for future generations? What are the pleasures and challenges of living in a neighbourhood where most residents are first or second-generation Canadian?
With these questions in mind, our young research team has conducted 30 interviews with past and current residents of three historic immigrant neighbourhoods: Côte-des-Neiges in Montreal; St. John’s Ward in Toronto; and Strathcona in Vancouver. While each neighbourhood has its own distinct dynamics, the commonalities in lived experiences have been striking. Many of the people we interviewed shared stories of displacement, discrimination, and hardfought struggles to remain rooted in the face of urban development. At the same time, our interviewees shared stories of personal and collective resilience, and spoke of grassroots efforts that have enabled these neighbourhoods to thrive in the face of discrimination. The stories we’ve gathered are stories of both displacement and placemaking; exclusion and inclusion. In this online project launch, we offer you just a taste of them. We hope to share more of these important stories in the future, as we all have a lot to learn from them.
In the meantime, we turn this ongoing conversation over to you. We hope our project inspires you to move through your neighbourhood with fresh eyes and ears. We encourage you to consider your own experiences settling in a new place and to think about the contributions that different waves of newcomers have made to the place where you live now. Most importantly, we hope you’ll be inspired to learn more from other newcomers and to speak about challenges that you’ve faced yourself. Maybe you’ll even stop to talk with some new neighbours, to listen to their stories and share some of your own.
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