The exclusionary politics of creative communities: The case of kensington market pedestrian sundays

Increasingly, urban boosters are promoting the ways artist and activist networks transform public streets into spaces of conviviality, play, and community building through creative interventions. However, such actions frequently undermine the very communities they say they are trying to support. Using the case of Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington Market, Toronto, we explore the role played by local artists and activists in contributing to local gentrification dynamics, and how their actions reflect broader socio-economic inequities in the city and beyond. Despite community activists' wish to challenge homogenized and corporatized urban redevelopment, and to build vibrant and engaged communities, the activists often unintentionally reinforce values that promote and benefit some members of the community at the expense and exclusion of working-class, immigrant, and racialized others.