Overall...

 Lawrence Manor is a great, inner suburban neighborhood to raise a family. Studying the neighborhood first hand, showed all that it has to offer. Although investments in the inner city are more common for large groups of developers, neighborhoods located beyond the immediate core are still being gentrified (Lehrer, 2009). Property owners are buying residential properties, making upgrades, and selling them for more money (Lehrer, 2009). Though current city strategies have a downtown focus, it is important to recognize that development within the inner suburbs would be a step closer to the inclusive 'creative city' strategy that the inner city has been luring (Noble, 2009). 

§  

Schools and Synagogues

     As previously mentioned, there are many Jewish schools, in and around the Lawrence Manor neighborhood, enticing a large Jewish, family-oriented population. From this, synagogues are the most common house of warship found in the area. In addition, there are three Toronto District School Board public schools, two serving children in primary school, and the third serving high school aged students. Finally Zarainu High School, located on the southern boarder of the neighborhood caters to Jewish females in high school that have a developmental disability (UJA Federation, 2011). Seeing the schools and facilities for children in the area evidently play a role in making Lawrence Manor such a family-oriented neighborhood.

Indoor and Outdoor Recreation

Prince Charles Park

Outdoor Recreation:

     There is no shortage of green space within the Lawrence Manor area. Parks, playgrounds for children, walking paths, and tennis courts provide the neighborhood residents with great outdoor opportunities. Walking through the neighborhood on a nice fall day, the parks were crowded with children, showing the young population that populates the neighborhood. Located in the centre of the Lawrence Manor neighborhood is Prince Charles Park. This park has a large range of green space, as well as a playground providing ample outdoor recreation opportunities for the area.

Barbara Frum Library (Photo 9)

Indoor Recreation:

       Barbara Frum Public Library is also found in the neighborhood. This library hosts several programs for early learners to attend. The library has lots to offer to the community, making it a great recreational attribute in the Lawrence Manor neighborhood.

Transportation

TTC Accessibility:
     On the map, Lawrence Manor is conveniently located for motorists and Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) users. The neighborhood has easy access to the Yonge, University, and Spadina subway line.
The Different TTC Routes:

• The Bathurst Street bus travels southbound to the Bloor-Danforth subway line. 
• The Wilson Avenue Bus travels eastbound and westbound to Wilson station on the University line, and Yorkmills station on the Yonge line. 
• The Lawrence Avenue bus travels westbound to Lawrence west station, and eastbound to Lawrence station. 
• Finally, Ranee station, more commonly known as Yorkdale station, on the University subway line is located within the Lawrence Manor neighborhood. 
• The 400 Lawrence Manor bus provides bus service throughout the neighborhood, refer to photo seven.

400 Lawrence Manor (Photo 8)

Motorists:

     Lawrence Manor is also conveniently situated south of Highway 401, and east of Allen road, west of Bathurst Street, and North of Lawrence Avenue. The area experiences high traffic during rush hour, from both local residents, and traffic passing through. Another convenience of the Lawrence Manor neighborhood lies within the short commute to the entertainment and business districts that downtown Toronto has to offer. Overall, Lawrence Manor is situated conveniently for all modes of transportation.

Buildings and Lankmarks

     Neptune Drive is a street in the Lawrence Manor neighborhood that presents the area with some high rise, low rise, and medium rise residential buildings. A significant landmark found within the neighborhood-Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, is a hospital and a Jewish nursing home for the aged. Having this hospital in the area attracts an elderly population. 

Baycrest Hospital

Bathurst Strip Mall (Photo 7)

     As mentioned previously, stretching along Bathurst Street are several low rise buildings and strip malls. Many of the stores in the area cater to the predominately Jewish population that is found in the neighborhood. As shown in photo seven, shops selling kosher foods show no shortage along the Bathurst strip.

      Within the last decade, few luxury condominiums were built in the area, though along Bathurst Street, most of the buildings remain very old. Not much has been done to clean up the Bathurst strip, in order to match the bordering upscale, residential neighborhood just east of Lawrence Manor. Now that Lawrence Manor is slowly building newer residential homes, perhaps a good investment for developers would be to gentrify the Bathurst area, to create a more upscale neighborhood. Though the inner suburbs are not targeted in Toronto's neighborhood initiatives or citywide strategies (Noble, 2009). The disinvestment in the inner suburban areas of Toronto comes as a result of the suburbs 'un-sustainability' (Lehrer, 2009). From the perspective of Jane Jacob's (1961), the inner suburbs are the definition of poor urban form, not suited for the 'creative class' (Noble, 2009). Perhaps if the area were to undergo revitalization, the already high property values would force some of the population out of their homes, and leave store owner's unable to afford rent... It's hard to say whether or not this would benefit or hurt the area, however it is important to bring the inner suburb areas into city discussion (Noble, 2009). 

Lawrence Plaza and MORE

Lawrence Plaza; Location (Photo 4, 5)

Shopping, Shopping, Shopping!

Food, Food, Food!

     Lawrence Manor is just steps away from Lawrence Plaza, a shopping centre located at the north west corner of Bathurst and Lawrence. The plaza offers a wide range of products and services at discounted prices. It includes gift shops, kosher restaurants and shops, bakeries, a bookstore, a grocery store, a fashion outlet, drugstore, banks and much more. 

United Bakers (Photo 6)

Lawrence Plaza is the home to United Baker's Dairy Restaurant; one of Toronto's oldest family restaurants. The restaurant has been serving a broad clientele for decades, establishing a superb reputation within the community. 
     
Finally, on the outskirts of the Lawrence Manor neighborhood, is Yorkdale Shopping Mall (UJA Federation, 2011). To date, it is the home to almost every major retail chain, making it a convenient spot for locals and outsiders to shop (UJA Federation, 2011). Undergoing extreme renovations, the mall will soon have even more to offer for its shoppers!

The Area and it's Surroundings

The Old and the New...Homes in Lawrence Manor (Photo 3)

While walking through Lawrence Manor, one of the first things I noticed was the vast Jewish, Orthodox population. According to a 2001 Canadian Census, the Lawrence Manor neighborhood has a population of 58 160, and of that, 16 825 are Jewish (UJA Federation, 2011). Located just west of Bathurst street, the area is bordered with several Jewish schools, cultural centre’s, synagogues, restaurants, retail shops, and kosher grocery stores. The houses in the area are modest, predominately detached brick homes, split level homes and bungalows. While each house is located on a relatively large lot, newer custom-built homes are becoming more common in the neighborhood. Just east of Bathurst ranging to Avenue Road, houses a wealthier population with newer and larger homes. This area of Toronto has outrageously high property values, as more people are renovating and building new homes. As a result people are willing to pay more for the older homes that are left in the area, to begin laying roots in the already developed neighborhood. Acting as a boarder between the two areas, are the several strip malls, and low rise buildings along Bathurst Street. As discussed by Ute Lehrer, in her journal looking at condominium development and gentrification, disinvestment in the inner suburbs of Toronto is evident (2009). A drastic decrease in the income of inner suburb residents has led to a period of decline (Lehrer, 2009). Lawrence Manor however, is undergoing significant expansion in residential property development. Moreover, luxury condominiums are slowly being built within the area, attracting larger populations. It will only take a matter of time for Lawrence Manor to develop, and be in the same place regarding property value as its neighboring neighborhood. 

Map of Lawrence Heights (Photo 2)

Bordering the far west end of the Lawrence Manor neighborhood is Lawrence Heights. Accommodating a large population of low-income families in Metro Toronto Public Housing, the City of Toronto worked to bridge the gap between connecting neighborhoods, through the implementation of a revitalization project (City of Toronto, 2012). This project sought to provide guidance on connecting neighborhoods, in order to meet community needs (City of Toronto, 2012). The overall goals of the plan for revitalization of Lawrence Heights was to transition into a mixed-income and mixed-use neighborhood, and eliminate the barrier that the Allen Expressway creates between the two neighborhoods (City of Toronto, 2012). According to Martine August, social mix is meant to create socio-economically diverse urban areas (August, 2008). Furthermore, socially mixed public housing redevelopment is an attempt to produce a socially and economically diverse neighborhood (August, 2008).  As The city of Toronto acted upon the Lawrence-Allen Revitalization Project, the intentions were to create a healthy neighborhood with diverse incomes, buildings, and land uses (City of Toronto, 2012). 

Getting Out There

                           Map of Lawrence Manor (Photo 1)

“Getting out there” was fun in Lawrence Manor!  I decided to explore the area and become familiar with all that it has to offer. As outlined in photo one, the residential area is bordered by Lawrence Avenue to the south, the 401 to the north, Allen Road to the west and Bathurst Street to the east. 

This blog will explore the neighborhood of Lawrence Manor, and how it is organized. It will look at the kinds of building it houses, the population, schools, places of warship, parks and stores that are found within. It will look at the public transportation, and the conveniences that it provides to the residents living in the area. 

Please read on to find out more about this family oriented area...