Thursday, August 16, 2007

Backpedaling on an incredible opportunity

So when is Windsor going to pull it's lethargic ass out of the 19th century and actually accomplish something worthwhile in it's downtown core? Here's a post, published here verbatum from CoolTown Studios, which highlights the fact that we are nothing but navel-gazers in this city.

"Arizona doesn't exactly have a reputation for placemaking, but

Arizona State University is looking to change that in a grand way with their Next American University plan to accommodate 90,000 students via two new urban campuses, one north of Phoenix, one in its downtown. Then there's ASU's take on what university research buildings should be, a microcosm of University of South Carolina's Innovista research village.


Skysong, aka the ASU-Scottsdale Center for Innovation, is a 37-acre, ten-year, 1.2 million s.f. project that will provide 4000 jobs and $300 million in investment via office space, retail and housing, centered by an artistic tent-like structure.


The city's key goal of course, is to leverage the university to create high-growth jobs, export its innovations, attracting global companies as partners, and developing entrepreneurial and tech transfer programs (eg Technopolis, the Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative, and the Partnership for Research in Spatial Modeling). The ASU Foundation bought the land for $41.5 million, then sold it to the City who is leasing it back along with financing its infrastructure.


Now the urban design of the large mid-rise industrial-looking buildings aren't the most humanistic, but at least it's not parking lot-oriented. It's a step in the right direction.


Read more in Next American City."

Call me crazy, but does this not sound like a worthy objective for The City Of Windsor and our University?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great Idea and good vision for Windsor. Do I smell a candidate for the next municipal election?

Chris Holt said...

I guess that would depend on who you're standing next to;)

You won't see any campaign signs with "Topher Holt" on them any time soon. I feel it's much more productive to offer constructive criticisms from the sidelines.

Josh Biggley said...

You know --- the interesting thing about the whole Urban Village vs Engineering School debate is this -- the two could co-exist, albeit with some concessions on both sides of the plans. The irony being that, if you read materials posted to the city website they still make references to the Urban Village project as an active project. Apparently someone forgot to tell the web admin that the U of W was dumping on the Village parade.

Anonymous said...

"Is it my imagination, or is Wyandotte receiving more attention than a drunken co-ed at a frat party these days?"

Well, I have an issue with this analogy. If we're going to work together and take this issue seriously; then this kind of comparisson needs to be avoided. It trivializes the problem of gang rapes and date rapes that happen to "drunken co-eds" at frat houses. The disrespect of living in harmony with the planet will only happen when we can live in harmony with one another and not trivialize serious issues like these.

Chris Holt said...

***The preceeding comment is in response to the post entitled "Save Our Scenic Drive", and not "Backpedaling on an incredible opportunity"***

If you read the post entry correctly, the verb used was "attention" and not "gang rape", "date rape" or any other phrase that could be misconstrued as sexual in meaning.

I appologise if this offended anyone - as it was a stab at humour, but I also don't appreciate anyone intentionally misconstruing my words to forward their own political agenda.

Anonymous said...

"I appologise (sic) if this offended anyone - as it was a stab at humour, but I also don't appreciate anyone intentionally misconstruing my words to forward their own political agenda."

And it is precicely these types of offensive 'jokes' that keep sexism, racism and many other "isms" alive in our society. So, I did not misconstrue your words as you claim. I understood it was an attempt at humour. My point however, is that this kind of "humour" is offensive in itself and frankly makes me question your commitment to social change. I am not trying to forward my own political agenda. I call a spade a spade. Your sexist and degrading 'humour' is the issue in this case--you did it, not me. I am merely pointing out the paradox.

What your analogy has accomplished is to present a woman in the light of an object and not a person. Why do "drunken women" get attention at frat parties? It's because they are considered "easy targets for a lay". You should know that intoxication makes a woman unable to consent to sex according to law; thus the "easy lay" is in fact an "easy target" for a sexual predator. I would appreciate it if you refrained from this kind of humour in the future.

Anonymous said...

to anonymous
I take offense to "I call a spade a spade" remark. Maybe you are not aware of the origins of such a racial slur. You are quick to point fingers, but for someone who is pointing out the short comings of others regarding social change you have yet to master
it yourself.

Anonymous said...

to African American

As a matter of fact, I always thought the saying referred to a "garden spade". Just like many people do not know the origin of the phrase "rule of thumb" and use it to mean a "general rule". I apologize if I offended you. There is no excuse for my ignorance.

No, I not am quick to point out sexist references--I am actually rather slow and guarded because of the inevitable backlash I receive from everywhere. However when such a blatent sexist comment is publicly made, and it is not pointed out, it perpetuates the problem.

I am certain that you are aware of what Martin Luther King Jr. of where an African American woman's place was during the civil rights movement. Well, that's unacceptable too. Placing women in a position where they are forced to choose between their colour or their sex is haneous.

Women worldwide experience discrimination and horrific violence based upon their biological sex. Women of colour experience more violence and discrimination only because they are women of colour. African American women experience sexist oppression from other African American men.

I find it interesting that you are quick to jump down a woman's throat for defending her biological sex, and yet you leave a sexist slur alone. Interesting indeed.