Torontos EAST END may be getting revitalized.

I think this is a great idea for the artists in Toronto and - indeed as Jane Jacobs said "OLD BUILDINGS NEED NEW IDEAS!"

Landlords lease their property for 30 days without charge to artists who have applied for space. The occupants’ licenses are rolling, which means they can stay in the property until someone signs as a rent-paying occupant—which sometimes turns out to be the artists themselves, sometimes not.

This was started in Australia where once a place their was a field day for doing movies on armagghedon (the day after) now has become a haven for people to come and see art. I think this is a great idea for all cities where there needs to be renewal.

Here is Mark Westbury (Aussie) chatting about this:

DIY transforming a dying city from Marcus Westbury on Vimeo.