A Happy Ballantyne's Day

Photo of Derek Ballantyne by Ben Li, courtesy of Ideas That Matter.

Derek Ballantyne—housing activist, former CEO of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC), and now COO of Build Toronto—was awarded the tenth Jane Jacobs Prize yesterday afternoon in a small, affection-laced ceremony at the Munk Centre for International Studies. Though award distribution often brings with it a share of bluster, this particular event was laden with warmth and humility, with speakers eager to share credit for their accomplishments and visibly grateful to the woman who gave the prize her name.

In his remarks Ballantyne gave voice to the spirit with which he tried to direct the TCHC, one which installed tenants—their well-being and not just their warehousing—at the centre of its mission. The TCHC has been concerned with the "physical landscape and construct of neighbourhood," he said, but also and more importantly with "what fate we were bestowing on residents" in virtue of the physical and cultural environment they were provided. Traditionally, social housing tends to the sterile and inhospitable, and Ballantyne is strongly of the view that this, compounded with cultural and institutional inaccessibility, keeps residents from engaging in their communities and ultimately developing independence. While injecting vibrancy into and improving the condition of the physical housing stock has been an important aspect of TCHC's work, "the need to connect and reconnect people to the life of the city and the civic realm" is what has the potential to make the biggest impact on those who rely on social housing.

After the ceremony previous prize winners, along with business leaders, urban activists, and members of Jane Jacobs' family mingled for a post-speech reception. The most frequently overhead topic of conversation? I've got this idea I want to discuss with you and There's a project I think we can work on.

Exactly right.