Repeat photography and urban change

Abstract

Repeat photography—the practice of rephotographing the same locations at different moments in time—is an under-utilised method for interpreting urban change. Despite this, it has the potential to give new empirical and theoretical meanings to our understanding of the ways in which major forces of change shape cities and their urban landscapes. The purpose of this article is to give a visual dimension to understanding long-term change in Toronto, Canada, since the 1960s. It will use historic images taken by streetcar enthusiasts as a starting point. Rather than studying these trolleys themselves, it is everything around them that is of interest for this study. As streetcar systems were disappearing or contracting after World War II, dedicated and passionate enthusiasts visited Toronto, which retained the largest streetcar network in North America, to ride and photograph them. Their images give us unique insights into the ordinary city in ways that few other genres do. To analyse long-term patterns of change, these historic images have been rephotographed over the past few years and show how trends such as deindustrialisation, financialisation, and gentrification are made visible in the urban landscape. In this article, I also echo assertions by Elvin Wyly and others that photographs are a useful part of critical constructive analysis of the city.