Alam, his wife, Fahmida, and their two children, Areeba, 4, and Alvi, 6, were moving some small items into their never-been-lived-in sixth floor Sackville St. apartment in the new Regent Park yesterday.

They'll be doing the big move today, coming back to Regent Park after moving out four years ago to make way for construction, and they can't wait to be back in their old, but brand-new, neighbourhood.

15-YEAR PLAN

The family was part of the first wave of residents to move in this week to the first building to rise up as part of the $1-billion, 15-year revitalization of the once-violence-plagued neighbourhood.

"I can't even compare it," Alam said. "Everything is new.

"This is a great initiative ... it makes people more within a community."

Standing inside what will likely be their living room, the family was enjoying the view of the downtown from their corner unit.

Areeba was exploring what it was like to press her face up against the windows in the various rooms while her brother Alvi was enjoying the feel of sliding his shoes across the new floor.

Alam said after the move, his family is just looking forward to carrying on life as normal but with a better-designed home.

"Unless I win the lottery," he said, laughing.

When Regent Park is completed in 2017, 12,500 people will live in 5,115 units across the largest publicly funded community in Canada.

Last week, the city and Toronto Community Housing unveiled the details of the second phase of the project that will include market condos as well as affordable housing units, retail space, and most of the new and improved neighbourhood's community infrastructure.

The city is building a $3.5-million, 55,000-square-foot community centre across the street from Nelson Mandela Public School, an $11-million pool at Sumach and Dundas Sts., and a park the size of a city block bounded by Oak, Sumach, Dundas and Sackville Sts.