Джейн и Финч: История района с высокой плотностью населения в Торонто.

Jane and Finch is a neighbourhood located in the northwest end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in the district of North York. Centred at the intersection of Jane Street and Finch Avenue West, the area is roughly bounded by Highway 400 to the west, Black Creek to the east, Sheppard Avenue to the south, and Steeles Avenue to the north. Two city neighbourhoods cover the area commonly known as Jane and Finch. From Finch north to Steeles is considered part of the Black Creek community while from Finch south to Sheppard is called Glenfield Jane Heights. The Jane and Finch community is a high density and low income neighbourhood. It is made up of single family detached and semi detached houses, along with several high rise apartment buildings.

Jane Finch was originally the rural community of Elia. The area was developed as a model suburb in the 1960s in response to the rapid urban growth of Toronto. The community was planned to accommodate a socially diverse population and included a substantial amount of public housing, but insufficient thought was given to the social infrastructure needed to sustain community life. The 1960s development plans spearheaded by the Ontario Housing Corporation (OHC) coincided with North York Planning Department's goal of creating a more urban looking suburb. Known for its series of high rise buildings and, concomitantly, its above average population density, Jane Finch experienced astronomical growth from 1961 to 1971 when the population went from 1,300 to 33,000, thereby accounting for more than 40% of the growth in North York. In general, urban planners, local politicians, residents of Jane Finch, and others today are of the opinion that the OHC and North York erred seriously, contributing to rapid population growth in the area without anticipating its negative consequences. By 1967, 22.5% of all residential dwellings in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood were designated public housing. Meanwhile, just 3% of North York was designated public housing at the same time. Throughout the 1960s, many of the private and public housing buildings were constructed in the modern architectural style. Still, a 1975 study by a planning consulting firm identified the following problems resulting from the rapid growth of the community: overcrowded schools, disconnected social services, inadequate recreation facilities, and a serious issue with youth crime. which revealed tensions between police and area residents. Between 1981 and 2001, the total population of North York grew by 8.7%; higher economic families by 9%, but poor economic families by 80.5%. Poverty intensified in 5 main areas. The most prominent is the Jane Finch area, where four poor neighbourhoods turned into regions of very high poverty, and a region that previously had low to moderate poverty became classified as having high levels of poverty. By 2001, a major shift had taken place, with the immigrant family population now accounting for 62.4% of the total family population in these communities, and Canadian born families making up the remaining 37.6%. Between 1981 and 2001, the number of racialized individuals also increased by 219%.

By 2002, the area had "one of the highest proportions of youth, sole supported families, refugees and immigrants, low income earners and public housing tenants of any community in Toronto". That year, only 70% of people in the neighbourhood had proper indoor plumbing (compared to 95% of Canadians), and brownouts were common. The United Way's "Poverty by Postal Code The Geography of Neighbourhood Poverty: 1981–2001" also highlighted poverty in the city. The area still grapples with youth crime, with the highest youth crime risk index score of any Toronto neighbourhood, and elevated crime rates. The Canadian government funded a youth program known as Positive Alternatives to Youth Gangs (PAYG) in the neighbourhood. As part of a rebranding strategy in 2008, Toronto City Councillor Anthony Perruzza had banners attached to hundreds of hydro poles in Jane and Finch, calling the area University Heights, due to its proximity to York University, and referencing the existing name of the neighbourhood in municipal planning documents. In December 2017, an extension of the western branch of the Line 1 Yonge University subway line was opened, with a station; , at Keele Street, about 1.5km east of the neighbourhood. Major police raids targeting the neighbourhood's gangs have occurred in 2007, 2011 and 2017. According to Toronto's police chief, area gangs "have infiltrated various communities" across the province and beyond.

As of 2021, the northern half of the neighbourhood had a population of 21,145. 30.9% Black; 5.6% Jamaican
15.6% European; 5.6% Italian
12.8% Southeast Asian; 9.4% Vietnamese
9.5% South Asian; 4.4% East Indian
7.8% Latin American (of any race)

As of 2021, the southern half of the neighbourhood had a population of 30,025. It hosted the 2023 Canadian Open, and will host the tournament again in 2026. Two branches of the Toronto Public Library also operate from the neighbourhood, York Woods branch, and Jane/Sheppard branch. Black Creek Pioneer Village, located in the northeast of the neighbourhood next to Black Creek, is an open air museum of 19th century Ontario life.

Several major roadways bound the neighbourhood, including the two namesake streets that form its core; Jane Street and Finch Avenue. Other major thoroughfares that pass through the neighbourhood are Steeles Avenue to the north, Sheppard Avenue to the south, and Highway 400 to the west. Highway 400 is a controlled access highway that forms a part of the province's 400 series highways. Public transportation in the neighbourhood is provided by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). The TTC operates several bus routes in the neighbourhood. Finch West station, on the western branch of Line 1 of the Toronto subway, is located at Keele Street, 2 km east of the Jane Finch intersection, and is accessed via the 36 Finch West bus. Construction of a light rail line through the neighbourhood, the Finch West LRT, is presently underway with the line expected to open in 2023. In conjunction with the Finch West LRT, construction of a new community hub is planned to be built in the Jane and Finch area.