Observatory: a place set apart for making observations; a position affording an extensive view.
Observe: to attend to with the mind; to perceive; to pay attention to; to take notice of scientifically; to learn by scientific inspection. - Oxford English Dictionary
The Greater Toronto Urban Observatory (GTUO) monitors and evaluates regional urban conditions and trends. It seeks to disseminate an improved policy-relevant knowledge base about the Toronto urban region by providing reliable, accurate, and timely information to policy-makers, businesses, researchers and citizen groups.
Researchers at the University of Toronto's Centre for Urban and Community Studies have initiated the GTUO. In the near future, a broad based governance structure will be developed and the GTUO will be managed by this eventual region-wide partnership.

Researchers at the Cities Centre, in partnership with a number of community agencies and funders, are engaged in a detailed analysis of neighbourhood change in the City of Toronto and in the urbanized region around Toronto.
The maps and graphs provided here are produced by the Neighbourhood Change and Building Inclusive Communities from Within research initiative, a Community University Research Alliance (CURA) funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. All the maps include, for reference purposes, the boundaries of the City of Toronto's priority neighbourhoods (selected for focused investment to strengthen neighbourhood supports) and the boundary of the Neighbourhood Change CURA study area.
J. David Hulchanski, Associate Director for Research of the University of Toronto's Cities Centre (formerly the Centre for Urban and Community Studies), is the Principal Investigator. Maureen Fair and Rick Eagan are the project's coordinators from St. Christopher House. Richard Maaranen is the CUCS data analyst who produced the maps and graphs. Professors Larry Bourne, Bob Murdie and Alan Walks contributed to the analysis leading to these maps.
New

For the December 2010 report, click here
For the media release, click here
Presentations Toronto Divided? Polarizing Trends that Could Split the City Apart, 1970 to 2005
January 2010 Download pdf
|
Diversity and Concentration in Canadian Immigration: Trends in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, 1971 - 2006 by Robert Murdie, CUCS Research Bulletin 42, March 2008. View the PDF
|
|
Neighbourhood Change in Toronto:
The top 10 maps & graphs of trends |
- The Three Torontos: Change in average neighbourhood income, 1970 compared to 2000 (map)
- Neighbourhoods with a persistent increase or decrease in average income since 1980 (map and graphs)
- Change in average neighbourhood income in the City of Toronto, decade-by-decade,1970 to 2000 (4 maps on one & 2 graphs)
- The polarization by income of Toronto's neighbourhoods: Thirty-year trend in neighbourhood income distribution in the City and the outer suburbs (graphs)
- What happened to the City of Toronto's formerly middle income neighbourhoods? Which ones increased or decreased in average income since 1970? (map)
- Gentrification of Toronto's neighbourhoods, 1960 to 2000 (map)
- Where do immigrants live? Toronto area neighbourhoods with immigrants who arrived between 1981 and 2001 (map)
- Neighbourhood increase or decrease in the foreign born population, City of Toronto, 1971 to 2001 (map)
- Toronto neighbourhoods with concentrations (80%, 90%, 95%) of white or non-white populations, 2001 (3 maps)
- Change in the Percentage of Rental Housing In Toronto's Neighbourhoods, 1971 to 2001 (map)
Where Poverty Lives: 2006 Census Tract LICOs, Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver |
Neighbourhood (census tract) level maps of the percentage of households below Statistics Canada's Low Income Cut Off (LICO), in the City of Toronto, Toronto CMA, Toronto-Oshawa-Hamilton CMAs, Montreal CMA, and Vancouver CMA, from the 2006 Census.
Download .pdf's
Canada's Urban Ethnocultural Mosaic, 2006 Census, Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver CMAs |
Neighbourhood (census tract) level maps of each of the three largest CMAs; mapping the white and visible minority concentrations, and the black, Chinese, South Asian, Italian, Portuguese and Polish Population.
Download .pdf's
Neighbourhood Income Polarization in Toronto Since 1970 |
a comparative analysis of the demographic characteristics of the group of neighbourhoods (census tracts) that have had a persistent increase or a persistent decrease in average income since 1970 or 1980
Introduction & map of census tracts with a persistent income trend since 1970
Download .pdf's View slideshow
A more detailed look at the demographic characteristics of the census tracts with the persistent income trend compared to the City and CMA:
- Income, employment and education
Download .pdf's View slideshow
- Immigrants and visible minorities
Download .pdf's View slideshow
- Household size and family status
Download .pdf's View slideshow
- Renters and rented dwellings
Download .pdf's View slideshow
- Dwelling type, value and age
Download .pdf's View slideshow
Employment Income, 1960 to 2000 |
change in average employment income relative to the Toronto area average in each census tract since 1960
Download .pdf's View slideshow
Growing Concentration of High and Low Income Groups & Decline of the Middle Income Group, 1970 to 2000 |
maps and graphs showing Toronto neighbourhoods (census tracts) that have a majority of households in one of three income categories, 1970 to 2000
Download .pdf's View slideshow
Settlement Patterns of Recent Immigrants, 1961 to 2001 |
change in the settlement pattern of recent immigrants, mapped as a percentage of recent immigrants in each census tract from 1961 to 2001
Download .pdf's View slideshow
Education Trends, 1961 to 2001 |
change in the proportion of the adult population over 20 years old who have completed a university degree, including 2001 maps of adults without a high school diploma
Download .pdf's View slideshow
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
The maps and graphs presented on this webpage may be reprinted or distributed, including on the Internet, without permission, provided they are not offered for sale, are not printed in a publication that is offered for sale, the content is not altered, and the source and webpage is properly credited (i.e., Centre for Urban and Community Studies, University of Toronto, www.urbancentre.utoronto.ca). Any commercial or other use requires the express prior written authorization of the Centre for Urban and Community Studies, University of Toronto.
© 2008 Cities Centre, University of Toronto

|