How to K*ll a City (North York Reading Group)

Welcome to North York Reading Group! The group is established with the purpose to facilitate discussion on readings about society, history, environment, humanity and philosophy.

What are the factors contributing to a great city? Jane Jacobs in her The Death and Life of Great American Cities named diversity as the core element. This overlaps with ethnical, language and cultural diversity we talk about today, but more so on its being the nurturing soil of possibilities. A vibrant city is a city where things can happen in an unexpected way, and its energy comes from local neighborhood without rigid rules or structures. In contrast, gentrification is the force to unify and eliminate differences. How to K*ll a City: Gentrification, Inequality, and the Fight for the Neighborhood will invite us to four US cities to witness how this process is silencing the diversity.

We will have two sessions to cover the two halves of the book. Each session will start with first half hour giving a brief introduction to the corresponding half, and then a discussion on any comment / question / insight related to the ideas raised in the book. This will be a relaxed one and a half hour session without any prerequisite to join.

Format: Brief Introduction of the Book Followed by Discussion

Date: Sunday May 17 and June 21, 2026

Time: 10:00am to 11:30am

Venue: North York Centre Food Court

Enquiry: KY - [email protected]

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Host or Publisher Toronto Book Lovers