Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Good News in Olde Walkerville


Some very welcome good news regarding Walkerville's Distillery District, courtesy of Windsor's Biz X Magazine;

"Olde Walkerville in Windsor ain’t dead yet! Biz X has compiled a list of new business openings and bargain-basement property transactions that promise to pull the district out of an economic tailspin. The former ICON store, 1623 Wyandotte Street East (which closed in January), is re-opening as a fitness studio, complete with juice bar and yoga, in late summer. The proprietor is
Michael Bates, retiring Managing Director of Human Kinetics Canada, the fitness publisher housed at 475 Devonshire Rd. Meanwhile, Alynn Anglin & Steve Hewitt have opened Anglin Financial Management at 1580 Wyandotte East, which previously housed the Meeting Place. Anglin and Hewitt have done a marvellous job renovating what was once a deli and lunch place. The old BMO bank at 1799 Wyandotte Street East, former home to T’Dye For Hair Salon (recently moved to 1464 Ottawa Street), has sold for $295,000. It will be leased for eight months while the new owners apply for a liquor licence with a long-term plan of opening a Martini bar. The landmark Peerless Ice Cream store, on the east side of Chilver at Wyandotte, has been sold and ice cream sales are now combined with an amazing tasting sushi. The old Deliotte and Touche building, 1666 Wyandotte St. E., has been bought by a group with plans to convert it into a church and community centre. The former Scratching the Surface building, 1514-20 Wyandotte East, yielded the best bargain. This property, listed under power of sale for $109,000, had seven offers the first day and was acquired for $140,000 by a numbered company. The 7,000 square-foot vacant lot on the north side of Wyandotte between Chilver and Windermere, is on sale for $319,000. This block housed four businesses before the buildings burned down during the blackout earlier this decade. Last, but not least, there is word that negotiations are in the final stages to locate a restaurant in the old Walkerville Pizza, 1737 Wyandotte E."



Fans of this neighbourhood (and fans of a healthy Windsor, period!) will welcome all this good news.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

How Walkable Is Your Neighbourhood?

We have discussed before the fact that the more walkable a neighbourhood is, the more likely its residents are to engage in different forms of active transportation. Walkable neighbourhoods also tend to be more community focused and tight knit.

Thank your lucky stars that you now have a very useful tool for figuring out if that new house you were looking at purchasing is located in a walkable neighbourhood. You could have gained 30 pounds if it weren't for this blog post.

WalkScore.com is a newly launched website designed to do just that. It uses Google Maps and relevant data, provided when you type in your address, to give you a rating out of 100 as to just how walkable your neighbourhood actually is.

From their press release;

Seattle – July 23, 2007 –

"Is your neighborhood a walker’s paradise? Can you easily stay fit by walking to a nearby grocery store to shop for food while simultaneously saving money on gas, parking, and repairs? Plug your address into just launched WalkScore.com to find out! WalkScore.com calculates a home’s walkability “score” and encourages walking by identifying the closest schools, grocery stores, and other businesses. WalkScore.com is also a great way to find out if that new house you’ve been eyeing meets your needs as a walkable neighborhood. You can also find out the walkability scores for other houses, like your uncle’s house, the White House, any address that piques your interest. WalkScore, a Google mashup that uses Google maps and business listings, was designed by Seattle residents Jesse Kocher, Matt Lerner, and Mike Mathieu. It works for any street address in the United States of America and Canada, assigning points based on the distance to local amenities, then averages the score. The site also lets you compare your score to that of famous locations and people such as Bill Gate’s house, Fenway Park, even Jennifer Anniston and Brad Pitt’s (pre-divorce) house. "We wanted to create the Zillow of walkability so people could easily compare one house to another. Walking isn't just good for your health, it's good for the health of our neighborhoods and the planet," says Matt Lerner, one of the site's creators. The group was inspired by reports from the Sightline Institute, a Northwest think tank, on how city design and health are affected by each other, from obesity to air pollution to social capital. The appeal of living in a walk or bike-friendly neighborhood is gaining momentum and not just with city professionals and hipster urbanites, but also with a growing number of families that want their kids to be able to walk to school and older adults that want to stay active by walking. “Instead of spending time in traffic, I can chat with my daughter and neighbors on the way to day care,” says Kristin Kolb, a mom who lives in a Seattle neighborhood that scores a 74 out of 100 on WalkScore.com, and who recently started walking her three-year old to day care instead of driving. According to Sightline Institute, recent studies show that residents of compact areas—where homes are mixed with stores and services and the street network is designed for walking—are less likely to be obese; suffer substantially fewer chronic illnesses such as diabetes, lung disease, and hypertension; and have a lower risk of dying in a traffic accident because they drive less. The air they breathe may even be cleaner than their suburban counterparts’, especially if they spend less time in the “pollution tunnel” of busy highways. Some users of WalkScore are comparing their neighborhood’s Walk Score as an emblem of local pride and of their lifestyle choices. Step by step, walking can help you stay well. And walkable neighborhoods mean enough people to support good mass transit, a reduction of gas use and green house gas emissions, and increased support of local businesses."

I found it a little lacking in accuracy when I typed in my address, but for the most part it is a very cool new tool. Here's a few of the results from my brief time on the site;

- my neighbourhood of Olde Walkerville - 55 out of 100
- my old neighbourhood in South Windsor - 18/100, for an improvement of 37
- my buddy Tommy's move from the Blue Heron area by the Tecumseh border to just down the road from me - 14/100 to 51/100, for an improvement of 37 points. Way to go, Tommy
- my brother in LaSalle - 28/100
- my parents in the Riverside area - 14/100

The best score I could come up with in Windsor was a 62 for somebody living downtown. Be sure to leave a comment after you've done your neighbourhood. Let's find out what is the most walkable community is (according to WalkScore, anyways) in Windsor/Essex County.

Idea Exchange

Yes. I am not the only one who doesn't believe we're screwed.

Believe it or not, there are a lot of people and groups out there who are actively working at assembling the different little pieces needed to "fix things". Over at WorldChanging.Com, they work under the premise that real solutions already exist for building the future we want. it's just a matter of grabbing hold and getting moving. Take a look at their manifesto;

"WorldChanging.com works from a simple premise: that the tools, models and ideas for building a better future lie all around us. That plenty of people are working on tools for change, but the fields in which they work remain unconnected. That the motive, means and opportunity for profound positive change are already present. That another world is not just possible, it's here. We only need to put the pieces together"

They started out as a blog, and then shot skyward from there. Yet, they hold true to the idea that all the pieces to the puzzle are out there, we just need to assemble them at home. No, it's not a simple technological fix they're espousing. It's a predominantly social one. So what they've done is assembled an international crowd sourcing resource to help us along in our quest.

Like they say on their site, Changing the world is a team sport



Thursday, July 26, 2007

Planning Department in Shackles?

A comment on a previous post has been made that it appears that the City of Windsor has no clear goals or objectives relating to the future of its built environment.

Navigating through the cities official website, there are many pages devoted to how important good urban design is to the quality of life of Windsor residents. Clearly, by publishing these pages on their website, they know there are better ways of developing Windsor. Now, let's see if they are following their own advise.

Windsor SEEN is described as being a "...Municipal Urban Design Agenda For The Windsor Community". It was adopted by city council over three years ago. Quickly glancing through this six page document will reveal just what this city means by Urban Design. Throughout, it stresses "image" and "impressions", focusing on what people will think of us "(b)y the time the 2006 Superbowl draws the visitation and global media attention of millions to the shores of the Detroit River, we must be seen at our best". It is a document whos clear intent is to "manage (our) identity". Form over function. (there's a headline on page two that actually uses a James Howard Kunstler reference - "Avoiding the 'geography of nowhere'" - in support of their plan!) In all the years in which I studied Urban Design at the post secondary level, I didn't come away with this description as being the main driving focus of the craft.

It was during soon-to-be mayor Eddie Francis' "Town Hall"-type campaign meeting in ward three, prior to his first term win, when I heard him call the Legacy Park big-box development Smart Growth. It was then that I knew we were in for a long, uphill battle. But, I digress...

Wikipedia describes Urban Design as a discipline "concern(ing) the arrangement, appearance and functionality of towns and cities, and in particular the shaping and uses of urban public space. It has traditionally been regarded as a disciplinary subset of urban planning, landscape architecture, or architecture. However, with its increasing prominence in the activities of these disciplines, it is better conceptualised as a design practice that operates at the intersection of all three, and requires a good understanding of a range of others besides, such as urban economics, political economy and social theory." This encapsulates what I spent my time studying. Yes, a successful community design is aesthetically appealing, but that is but one portion in a complicated recipe. Yet, it is the only ingrediant our planning department is allowed to use.

It was during the 2005 community meetings for the Huron Church Road Urban Design Master Plan when it hit me - the city is interested only in making this street prettier for motorists. It has nothing to do with urban design. Their design did nothing to address the lack of function of this "Civic Way". It did nothing to address the environmental concerns of the abutting property. It did nothing to address our ever expanding reliance on the private automobile. What it did do was plant a few gardens, berms and pretty ornamentation for the motorists stuck idling behind transport trucks to admire. Yet, this is their idea of what constitutes "urban design".

What is even scarier is that these "urban design" ideals are now firmly ensconced in our Official Plan. You know - the Official Plan that basically guides everything that the city does from now on by law!

My definition of urban design is more focused on the day-to-day life of the cities residents, instead of putting simply on makeup for the guests. By increasing the quality of life for the everyday users of our infrastructure, we are investing in our own future. For as the residents begin to develop a pride-of-place, they start losing the attitude that Windsor is disposable. Urban design is an organic process, and one that is continually building upon little successes over time. Jane Jacobs hated the idea of putting all our eggs in one basket and relying on mega-developments to "save" a community and so do I. The sense that I get when reading through the cities online documentation is just what a previous writer noted - we have no clear direction as a city. We are ambling along - as our Mayor attends Wrestlemania events on behalf of his citizens - grabbing at each and every new, shiny thing we come across. Hoping that "pretty" will be "enough". Hoping that we can build a "brand" that will fool people into visiting and investing here. Hoping that the taxpayers continue sleepwalking through life and don't start demanding better.

Well, it's not. We must identify our municipal destination and devise a clear path to get there. What kind of city do we want to be? What kind of residents do we want to attract? What kind of economic development do we want to inspire? In what kind of neighbourhoods do we want to raise our children? These are all aspects of my urban design. Elements of daily urban life that build confidence in one's elected officials and their leadership skills. One that recognises the learned expertise of our municipal administration and allows them the flexibility of suggesting alternatives without an iron fist driving them back to the plan of subdivision that they are working on.

Good planning will not be the silver bullet for our current economic and social woes, but we will definitely not be healed without it.

'Sidewalk contacts are the small change from which a city's wealth of public life may grow.' Jane Jacobs

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

This Weeks Local Music Line-up

After replying to a previous post, I realised that I had access to information that would help people (re)discover local talent and some of the local business' that support this local talent. Check out the following list assembled by local booster Jamie Greer. All bands are local Windsor bands unless noted. All shows are at 10pm unless otherwise stated.
I will make this a weekly addition to the blog


TUESDAY JULY 24
The Avalon Front (300 Ouellette Ave.)
SAIGON DISCO w/ DJ Shawn Renaud
Electropop, New Wave, Post-Punk Alternative

WEDNESDAY JULY 25
The Avalon Front (300 Ouellette Ave.)
The Mod Club w/ DJ Jamie Greer
Motown, Britpop, 80's/90's Alternative,
60's British Invasion, Modern Rock

The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, beneath Pogo's & The Loop)
.ninjaspy. (Vancouver) wsg Batoche (Vancouver) and Destroy Thy Will

Leopard's Lounge
My October (11pm start)

THURSDAY JULY 26
The Avalon Front (300 Ouellette Ave.)
Mihirangi (New Zealand) wsg Portia

The Chubby Pickle (762 Ouellette Ave.)
Not Even Third

Oishii Sushi & Ultra Lounge (255 Ouellette, beside Chanoso's)
Rock and Roll Sushi w/ DJ Jamie Greer (8pm - midnight)

Old Fish Market (156 Chatham St. West, beside Pogo's)
Huladog

Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West)
Steve Ward's Scattered Trio (early show - 5-8pm)

FRIDAY JULY 27
Big Tony's (911 Walker Rd.)
Mr. Chill & The Witnesses

The Chubby Pickle (762 Ouellette Ave.)
Focal Point wsg Evelyn Falls and Aravice (Detroit)

The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, beneath Pogo's & The Loop)
Shot Down Stars wsg Foxfight (Tillsonburg),
Afallenhero and Unblinded Eyes

The Loop (156 Chatham St.)
Stereo Friday w/ DJ Shawn Renaud
80's/90's Alternative, Electro, Modern Rock, Retro

Sky Lounge (261 Pelissier St.)
Kanada - Anti-Plugged

The Windsor Armouries (37 University Ave. East)
Windsor Pride presents "A Night at the Armouries"
(Doors at 6:30pm)
7:45pm - Screening of the film "The Bubble"
10:00pm - The Golden Hands Before God Conducts Incredible Magic Band & Spirits

SATURDAY JULY 28
Aleksander Estate Wineries (Ruthven)
Mr. Chill & The Witnesses

The Avalon Front (300 Ouellette Ave.)
SHINE: Music Video Dance Party w/ DJ Whiteshoe

The Chubby Pickle (762 Ouellette Ave.)
One Man's Opinion wsg Rotation (Flatrock, MI) and StereoGoesStellar

The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, beneath Pogo's & The Loop)
Voodoo Mafia wsg Jen Militia (Toronto)

Riverside Plaza (across from Casino Windsor)
Windsor Pride presents "Summer Sizzle" (Gates at 4pm)
Carole Pope (formerly of Rough Trade)
wsg Kelly & The Kellygirls (Toronto)

Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West)
Megan Hamilton (Toronto) wsg TBA

Sky Lounge (261 Pelissier St.)
Terry Thompson

SUNDAY JULY 29
Riverside Plaza (across from Casino Windsor)
Windsor Pride presents "Pride: Front & Centre"
The B-Girlz (Toronto) wsg Barbara Payton (Detroit)
and The Joys (London)

I hope you get out and try to take in some of our fantastic local talent.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Does Windsor have what it takes?

Does Windsor have what it takes to survive in the competition to attract cultural creatives?


This is a question that we intend to explore a lot more intimately in the days and weeks to come. But first, let's define just what the "Creative Class" is and why it is an attractive goal for our little ol' municipality to bring them into our midst...

The creative class, as defined by Richard Florida in his book "The Rise Of The Creative Class", are the segment of the population who make their living utilizing their personal creativity and resources. Those individuals whose talent is to create meaningful new forms; such as the artists, architects, information technologists and entrepreneurs - the purveyors of new ideas. This group of individuals, traditionally identified as college educated 25 to 34 year olds, have recently graduated college and have yet to set down roots in any one particular community. They have yet to develop the cynicism that infects the older generations. They are unafraid to experiment with new ideas and concepts - those ideas and concepts which are looked upon as the seeds to new economic "revolutions".

They are drawn to culturally vibrant communities, rich in diversity and tolerance with a low cost and high standard of living. They need access to markets and populations to feed off. This "Young And Restless" demographic, as labeled by CEO's For Cities, will be seen as the driving factor in a cities economic and cultural health in the years to come. The questions then arises; Does Windsor Have What It Takes To Attract The Creative Class?

Geograpically, Windsor is situated on a 685 square mile peninsula, across from Detroit, Michigan. With a metropolitan population of 350,000, we are only a one hour drive away from 4.5 million Americans, two hours away from 11 million and six hours away from 25 million, of which over nine million travel here to visit.

In the 2001 Canadian census, the city had a population of 208,402 and its official metropolitan area had a population of 307,877. Windsor attracts many immigrants from around the world. It is the fourth most diverse city in Canada with over 20% of its residents being classified as foreign-born. University of Windsor electrical engineering prof Majid Ahmadi says this area can become a high-tech hub with it's culturally diverse population, proximity to the U.S. and research talent. According to prof. Ahmadi, we could duplicate Vancouver's success in attracting high-tech giants like Microsoft.

Windsor has one of the lowest median housing costs on the continent when compared to other urban metropolitan areas. Young upstarts normally seek out affordable areas so they have more available resources to devote to their business'.

Whereas this target demographic has never traditionally sought a specific climate (chilly Denmark and Sweden are excellent at attracting these folks), Windsor's climate is one of the warmest in Canada - posessing what's called a humid continental climate. Being away from the lake effect, Windsor is one of the cities receiving the least amount of snow and it's summers are some of the warmest in Canada, seeing how we're on the same latitude with Northern California.

Foreign Direct Investment Magazine, the London, UK based publication devoted to establishing itself as the most trusted source of information for those companies involved with cross-border expansion, named Windsor, Ontario as North America’s leading “small” City of the Future, scoring well for business-friendly policies and a strong development programme that includes several large-scale projects involving public and private investment.

Yet, Windsorites seem to be ignorant of their potential. Numerous international publications have identified our favourable climate, access to markets and economic environment as "just what the doctor ordered" with regards to economic success, yet we fail to see it. True, we have a lot of ground to cover when it comes to increasing our liveability. Our city council seems to dither on implementing necessary changes. Council's neglect of the Capitol Theatre and the arts community as a whole is a hint of their cavalier attitude. Segments of our residential populations are averse to change, as proven by the residents of Riverside Drive's campaign against bicycle infrastructure and active transportation. Our declaration that the downtown core should become an "Urban Village" replete with mixed-use residential land use and emphasis on public transportation was a bright spot in 2006 , yet where is the physical evidense that this is anything but wishful thinking? The University of Windsor's Engineering Department was said to be investigating moving to this downtown site, joining St. Clair College's Cleary acquisition in bringing over 2000 students and faculty into the core. Yet, nothing but tumbleweeds have appeared to date.

We have a ways to go, yet numerous groups and individuals believe our future is indeed bright. Meaningful change happens at the transitionary periods of history, and Windsor is by no means an exception to this rule. The University of Windsor's Lloyd Brown-John wrote in his June 18 Windsor Star column; "Windsor can reinvent itself. To do so will take the talents and imaginations of its most creative and innovative minds. These are not always apparent - simply because one occupies a position does not ensure creativity. Where are those creative and innovative minds? How can they be identified or self-identified? How will those imaginative minds which have the capacity to take this city into the future manifest themselves?" Those are some of the questions that we need to ask ourselves, for it will take the open minds - those who are not dwelling on the status quo as savior - to see our way to this bright future.

Windsor will not only survive the latest economic woes, but will flourish - only if our attitudes and mind-sets change with the times.

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Pint Of No Return

It continues to boggle my mind that I can find a restaurant or pub in Windsor that doesn't serve Walkerville beer.

Come on folks We really do need to support our own in this city. Ambassoador Brewery lasted for three years before it closed it's doors in 2002. Charley's Brew Pub continues to brew it's Time Out beer, but unfortunately it's only available in-house

Karen Behune Plunkett and her husband Michael Plunkett re-opened the Walkerville Brewery in 1998, after it ceased it's original operations in 1956. Walkerville was voted "Canadian Brewery of the Year 2004" and 2006 World Beer Cup Winner. Karen has sat on many community Boards and is currently a member of the Windsor Regional Foundation, Windsor Utilities Commissioner, Honourary Chair of the Alzheimer Society and a 2000 International Athena recipient.

What has Chairman of the Board Pete Coors done for us since his Coors brewery swallowed up Canada's second oldest corporation Molson breweries (behind only the Hudson Bay Company) and moved them to Denver Colorado? They have pocketed Canadian brews Creemore Springs, Rickard's Red, Laurentide, Black Horse and India Beer. In addition to alcoholic beverages, Molson owns a 20% stake in the Montreal Canadiens, who historically have been the NHL's most successful hockey team. They also sponsor the Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks. Molson is part-owner of Brewers Retail Inc., operator of The Beer Store retail chain, which--protected by legislation--has an over 90% market share of Ontario beer sales. Their advertising campaigns are still focused on Canadian's latent anti-Americanism, which proves this Colorado-based corporation's patriotism runs second to their bottom line. "I AM Canadian" my ass!

London, Ontario's beer-darling Labatt's? Yup - since 1991 it's now Belgian, along with the other Canadian beers in it's corporate arsenal; Nova Scotia's Alexander Keith's, Hamilton's Lakeport and B.C.'s Kokanee. Labatt (well, Inbev now) is also part owner of The Beer Store retail outlets, so most of the money you spend there heads overseas.

So, belly up to the bar at your local watering hole this Canada day and ask for a pint of Walkerville. Not in stock? Go elsewhere. Head to the brewery to stock your home supply as well. Walkerville has a great summer special going on now - for $29.00 you get a mixed 2-4 of their Original Lager, Premium Blonde and Superior Light.


Now you can't use the "too expensive" excuse.

Tell 'em Topher sent you.