The social geography of Toronto in 1931: A study of residential differentiation and social structure

Abstract

The aggregate distribution of ethnic and occupational groups in Toronto in 1931 is documented, based on a seven per cent sample of households drawn from tax rolls. Labour and housing markets were tightly enmeshed in Toronto, and one's occupation decisively influenced the value and quality of housing one could afford. However, the association between housing consumption and ethnic origin was less clear: the average value of dwellings occupied by members of different ethnic groups was relatively consistent. Yet the same data reveal a residential landscape that was divided primarily by ethnicity, with particularly sharp distinctions between non-charter immigrant reception areas near the centre of Toronto and neighbourhoods populated largely by those of British descent elsewhere. Occupational differences were also imprinted in the spatial order of the city, but less strongly and in less visible patterns. These findings are discussed in the context of three theories of the relationship between class, ethnicity, and the spatial structure of the city. Theories predicated on the assumption that different forms of social division exist independently are found wanting, and intersections between class and ethnicity, between economic constraints and cultural processes, are emphasized.