St. Lawrence, Toronto
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The St. Lawrence neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada is bounded by Yonge, Front, and Parliament Streets, and the Canadian National railway embankment.
The area was the site of some of Tornto's earliest settlements but over time it became largely industrial. With the deindustrialization of the 1960s and 1970s the area was mostly abandoned. It was decided by mayor David Crombie to turn the area into a new residential neighbourhood, but one that would not make the same mistakes of the housing projects of earlier decades. The neighbourhood was to be integrated into the city with no clear boundaries. It would contain a mix of commercial and residential as with both subsidized and normal housing. The neighbourhood was planned by Alan Littlewood, and the influence of Jane Jacobs played a crucial role. The St. Lawrence neighbourhood has been critically acclaimed as a major success in urban planning. In many ways, it has become the model for the design and planning of new communities across North America.