Let me preface this post with a story you probably have heard about two hikers in the woods
Two hikers, hiking in the woods stumble upon a ferocious Grizzly Bear, the first hiker turns around and methodically takes off his back pack and changes his hiking boots for running shoes. The second hiker looks in sheer horror and shrieks “what the hell are you doing, there’s no way that you’re going to be able to outrun a Grizzly Bear”. The first hiker turns to him and says, “ I don’t have to outrun a Grizzly Bear to live, I just have to outrun you!”
Every day I have been coming across some article or blogger that chastises our leaders for not acknowledging Grizzly Bear type problems Windsor Faces. Meanwhile I think they miss the point that the city needs to collectively start running faster than its competitors. They want to see grizzly bears everywhere they look, remaining paralyzed. Look, I am not defending our leadership, I just want those who solely bitch and whine to get off their asses and start contributing.
Take downtown for instance; of course I realize the challenges downtown faces with border security, exchange rates, lack of dedicated nexus lanes on both border crossings, leadership that continues to support urban sprawl. Why on earth would I want to keep focusing and speaking about these problems . Once they are acknowledged, you develop a plan that recognizes them and then DON’T LOOK BACK.
Downtown has a plan that includes advice from a panel of experts from the International Downtown Association, Peter Bellmio, and the examination of highly successful comparable downtowns. It is a multi year plan that is in progress. It focuses on fundamentals such as Clean and Safe, and now Infrastructure and Beautification, next it moves into Business, Secondary Education and Residential Recruitment and eventually going into marketing and events in the future. Is this plan sexy? Probably not, then again neither are roads and sewers. The point is that this plan has been proven to work in every other Downtown that has adhered to it.
If someone came up with a better plan or even elements that furthered our goals, then we would review and adapt. That's not the case with downtown critics. They continue whining about nonsensical items such as not building an arena on insufficient lands (as if a single pad on 6 acres could have ever worked) that many damn well know would have lost money on an annual basis. Pointing out and discussing the Grizzly Bear may motivate some through fear, but I am motivated by envisioning the potential of what I am working on. Unless you have some new information to offer, talking about the Grizzly Bear becomes like drinking toxin that causes paralysis. There is no new problem downtown faces which would warrant a change in the current action plan.
I understand and appreciate those ridiculous statements and comments such as about Windsor’s problems being cyclical should be corrected. In my case, I’m not focusing on or talking about the problems because I see no value in doing that after they’ve been acknowledged. I believe the bloggers doing it think that it makes them somehow intellectually superior than those they criticize, seeing something they believe has been overlooked. Abraham Lincoln once said “he has the right to criticise, who has the heart to help” In Mr. DeRosiers case, he’s earned it and we should listen. However, there are many other critics (I would single out a certain blogger), have done nothing but poison our city. To think that bitching and whining about what others should do is some type of contribution is twisted. It's one thing to offer an opinion, it's another to claim to know what is in the hearts and minds of others. I would end with this; that it's not only about how much you love Windsor, it's about what kind of person you are, what kind of example you set for your children. Roll up your sleeves and find a way to contribute.
28 comments:
So let me understand. You are writing a blog telling people who have a problem with Windsor to get off there ass and do something. A guy decided he is not going to take the lip service he gets from politicians...writes a blog(s)... thus doing something. You then write a negative blog about people who are negative. And suggest they do something other than write negative blogs.
Maybe you have heard the story of the pot calling the kettle black.
I understand what you are saying Mark but I think that people are tired of giving ideas only to be shunned or out-rightly dismissed. Heck some have even been ignored.
My questions to you are simple. What has the DWBIA done to court area residents to shop downtown? Have the BIA even attempted to reach out to the surrounding neighbourhoods (granted some have zero disposable incomes but there are niche neighbourhoods). Have they asked for any input?
What about having some residents on the DWBIA board?
The other question I have is how hard is the DWBIA lobbying city hall for better neighbourhoods in the surrounding area?
How about tax incentives to bring people to live downtown? Tax abatements for fixing up houses in certain areas? Banding together with neighbourhoods (and not friend's areas either) to push city hall to make the entire area (not just those of friends or what city hall wants) better?
You see Mark, people get ostracized in this city for speaking out instead of being embraced. I for one have stuck my neck out many times only to be harassed for it. The difference being I could care less about the harassement but others sometimes can't.
I know you are a big champion of downtown and have worked tiredlessly to bring it back with some degree of success. However, trying to get the engineering complex of the UofW downtown is not going to happen. Instead why not work with the U and try to get the music and dramatic arts program downtown instead? I believe the DWBIA is going in the wrong direction with their poster campaign as it reeks of dividing the community instead of uniting it.
Instead of the "one big thing is going to fix downtown" idea why not work at the little things (such as the facade program that you have now)to bring about small business and forget about the shell games of moving people around (possible new TD buliding)from one building only to leave another empty. How about on street parking instead of the numerous parking decks?
I believe that once you hit critical mass with residents with disposable incomes (those who want to live in an urban environment)the the businesses will take care of themselves.
Slowly and gradually will win the day not pie-in-the-sky grandiose schemes.
These are just my observations from listening to a friend of mine at the DEGC in Detroit and watching what they have done over the last 5 years.
Dave...
Without giving too much of SDW's world-domination plans away, (cue evil laugh - HA HA HA HA!) many, if not all of the comments and suggestions you have posed have been addressed and are being investigated at our SDW development meetings. We hear ya, and understand.
SDW is going through some tremendous growth spurts presently. The attention the website is receiving is huge and has caught us (specifically, me!) somewhat offguard. You will be seeing a big change around here in a few months, and most of the changes are being implemented to address and facilitate discussion around many of the issues you have brought to the fore. Many, at Mark's request.
We will not lose our focus of being the site that offers clues to the solutions we are struggling with in Windsor. Many of our issues are interconnected and we must make those connections before moving forward to the solutions. Through my research and life experience, one of the main culprits of our cultural woes occured when we turned our backs on the notion of "community" and how relegating the importance of relationships to holiday visits have cost us dearly as a society.
Segregation is a nasty thing to happen to anybody.
We are not pretending to be able to fix the world, here. We are just trying to make an impact in Windsor. If what we do helps others - great! We just want to make our home town a little more humane and urbane.
"I've always wanted an urban village down there," said Mark Boscariol, chairman of the downtown BIA, which has softened its previous rock-solid demand that the arena be located there.
Every business needs the same thing -- customers, he said. And people tend to shop near where they live. Newcomers to Windsor, who today purchase their first homes here in the suburbs, might opt instead to live in this urban village reminiscent of neighbourhoods in Toronto, he said, claiming there is no successful downtown in North America that doesn't have a vibrant residential component.
Mr. Boscariol:
You miss the point.
While I agree positive contributions are vital, but when those "positive" contributions are consistently ignored; when public debate is shut down; when arrogance supercedes civic responsibility - I'm sorry I will defend the rights of those "bitchers and whiners".
Mr. Boscariol, it is best summed up as a crisis of confidence. The number of emails I've written seeking information, seeking answers, seeking to find out what the plan is - all have consistently gone ignored.
So lets be honest. No one blogger, individual, Mayor or councillor is right nor responsible for "poisoning" Windsor. Such broad statements only diminish your overall message.
Collectively, all opinions and desires for moving forward are important. No one individual deserves to be placed before another. This is our city, our future and all opinions, criticisms and suggestions matter.
When this culture of secrecy and suppression of dissent dissolves, you will find that people will be more response, more willing to contribute.
I want honesty. I want realism. I want real solutions. Forget the spin; the politicing; and contempt.
A true leader rises above the masses. A true leader understands, acknowledges and seeks to find common resolution.
Until such a time, each and every politician that continues their charade warrants outright shoot from the hip, tell it like it is criticism.
I do find your comment regarding one particular blogger completely undermines your positive message you are attempting to project.
If you are going to ask for positivity, then cut the attacks. Rise up above those who in your opinion are "superior".
"Why on earth would I want to keep focusing and speaking about these problems . Once they are acknowledged, you develop a plan that recognizes them and then DON’T LOOK BACK."
"To think that bitching and whining about what others should do is some type of contribution is twisted. It's one thing to offer an opinion, it's another to claim to know what is in the hearts and minds of others. I would end with this; that it's not only about how much you love Windsor, it's about what kind of person you are, what kind of example you set for your children. Roll up your sleeves and find a way to contribute."
Mr. Boscariol - if our "leaders" read every blog they would see the majority of the time, bloggers, who are residents who care, are attempting to help. There are suggestions for improvement.
Ironically, while you state that DesRosiers has earned his right, everything he has said has also been said on blogs in one way, shape or form.
I do not agree with everything I read. I also acknowledge at times I am a little extreme in my commentary - but what I recognise is that people care, are fed up with being ignored, manipulated etc.
Where is the citizen input, exchange? Dave raises an interesting point - is downtown the property of only merchants, or do all residents and stakeholders have a say in its future? This is not to criticise the efforts of the BIA - they have been great, but in plotting our future for the core, where is the citizen buy-in?
What we have seen develop in Windsor over the last 7 years I have lived here is a "father knows best" attitude at the expense of the free flow of opinion and consensus building.
Involve residents. Take their opinions seriously. Delegate.
But we are denied that opportunity leaving us with what - to be either with us or against us?
Buckle up; this may get a little long.
Marc, the people of Windsor are very, very frustrated. I am one of those frustrated people. I have decided to participate in this blog and have been making preparations for a charette that will use public input from Windsorites to help steer the designs. The last two or three comments that I put up were generally speaking, off topic, and I apologize.
I have read and re-read SDW’s mission statement and nowhere do I see mention of the DWBIA yet the DWBIA is promoted as the organization that will save downtown. I agree that the DWBIA has a place in this discussion however, the DWBIA membership is made up of businesses in the area and they are motivated to develop downtown in a way that will benefit them the most. This may not be to the benefit or betterment of the city as a whole.
You and the DWBIA promote the development of downtown as a place for young people of the “creative class” workers in the “knowledge economy”. This is exactly the demographic that would appreciate “trendy stores” and would tolerate being neighbours with bars and clubs. I can see why the DWBIA is so focused on this particular demographic. The problem as I see it is that targeting such a specific demographic means that other groups that are necessary to complete the community will not be welcomed. Also, this “creative class” exists under very special conditions. This city, this economic region is not structured to incubate and grow a large population of the young, hip, urban, intellectuals. Why? Because the city government and the business development commission are fixated on building shops and factories on the perhiphery of the city “shovel ready lands at the airport and the former lands of the Town of Tecumseh”. Even the non-industrial employers they seek out are larger companies like call-centres which they put outside of the downtown.
Here’s another problem with the future of the white collar type jobs – they are being off shored to Asia. Medical imaging interpretation, accounting, legal work, research for financial services, tool and mold design and prototyping in this lovely global economy of ours it has been found that you can get all your white collar work done overseas too.
The DWBIA and the City of Windsor Planning Department have all kinds of plans based on the opinions and ideas of consultants and “experts” from outside of the city. It’s not that I resent them as “outsiders” it’s just that what works in one place will not necessarily work in another place, especially a city like Windsor with its economic mono-culture and a leadership that is closed to anyone’s ideas but their own. Some creative incentives might be assistance in relocating people from the ‘burbs into better serviced community areas. A similar program could be used to get businesses from strip malls to move into vacant store fronts in downtown, or Ottawa Street or Riverside.
If the city government would release the former arena lands and zone it mixed-use retail/residential there would be a point to start a rebirth from that is not associated with what most Windsorites think of when we think downtown. Redevelopment could grow outward from this new development and the benefit would be universal.
Downtown Windsor needs to return to its roots as a community centre. It needs a concentration of businesses and services that will appeal to all demographics. We need to have residential zones that will accommodate all classes of people and as the wheel turns more and more people will be attracted to the area.
I’ve said enough for now.
James
I might not have mentioned previously that my nickname used to be "Instigator". I'm astonished how the critics are so sensitive to criticism.
To respond to Dave first as he has some great questions.
1. I believe Board Governance, the Municipal Act and city council would not allow residents to become board members as it is not a mandate of a BIA.
However, the DWBIA has tried to move to a system where task forces are created for specific issues. Those task forces have 3 meetings (1 to examine the issue, 2 to discuss possible alternatives 3 to make recommendations to the board)
All task forces to date (panhandling, hosts) have included residents and I assume that will continue.
I am not exaggerating when I say I have spent literally hundreds of hours lobbying for Tax Incentive Financing for development downtown. I had almost achieved it for City Center West until the lands were put on hold. Right now there is still facade grants in that area (Sir Cedrics recentl was awarded one).
The DWBIA went one step further by allocating approximately $140,000 for facade grants for businesses
As a BIA, we may not be allowed to offer our business members money to residents.
Dario Silvaggi and I have created the basics of a marketing campaign for new residents entitled "Downtown Living: The Time of your Life" which highlights how you could spend wasted drive time if you lived downtown.
According to the Windsor star, I was the first person to publicly use the term "Urban Village" in Windsor. I volunteered many hours to be on the City Center West Community Improvement Plan Committee to lobby for that initiative.
I agree with you about the university 100%. Unfortunately some of my colleagues on the BIA board feel otherwise.
As for marketing to neighborhoods. Marketing has been cut to almost nil at the DWBIA. It has been moved to future years when more funds become available. Those moneys are being dedicated to Infrastructure, beautification and Facade incentives.
I believe in "Truth in Marketing" You can't tell people its beautiful downtown unless you actually spend money to make it beautiful.
Here's one example I'm proud to have fought for. Right now the DWBIA has an agreement with the city to fund 25% of streetscaping to take it above city standards. On Maiden Lane the Board has agreed to spend approximately $100,000 additional to this to turn it into a "european style" street with a rough in for a future fountain in the center.
Taking an unattractive alley and creating a showcase public space is one way to turn any negative perception of downtown on its head.
It also helps connect The Avenue to the West Village creating a much more pedestrian friendly space
NOW THATS SOMETHING THAT I COULD MARKET
"I agree that the DWBIA has a place in this discussion however, the DWBIA membership is made up of businesses in the area and they are motivated to develop downtown in a way that will benefit them the most. This may not be to the benefit or betterment of the city as a whole. "
I disagree with this comment wholeheartedly. As General Motors once said "Whats good for General MOtors is good for the country"
Well, guess what
Whats good for Chanoso's is good for the city of Windsor.
I defy you to point out one initiative that I have worked on that does not benefit the average resident of the city of Windsor
But then again the writer goes on to say that we shouldn't seek to attract the creative class.
I don't listen to the "opinions" of others. What I do listen to is the repeatable successful proven strategies. I'd rather listen to that than some locals opinion who has never been outside WIndsor to see whats possible.
You want a realistic example of what Downtown Windsor should be, Drive 2 1/2 hours to Kalamazoo, MI.
We are following a plan of action that is very similar to one that they have completed. Its a wonderful downtown in a city of only 80,000 people.
I wholeheartedly agree with releasing the RFP on the City Center West Lands. Indecision is hurting us more than anything we could settle for.
I don't have time to respond to all of Chris's post now but I would not refer to him as a "bitcher and whiner".
Chris ran for Council and he ran a damn good campaign. He consulted with me and a whole lot of others before announcing his platform. (Not that he agreed with me on a lot of issues then either).
Running for public office is an amazing feat as it helps set policy and raise awareness even if you don't win. It subjects you to a lot of public scrutiny and frankly, I don't know if I could ever do it with the amount of work you have to do for the money.
I don't think I could sit through hours of topics such as garage rezoning applications waiting to get to the issues I care about. Not that those issues are not important, they're just not important to me.
Oh and P.S. Chris, How is Sam Dragich's blog helpful? The guy is bitter and has nothing to contribute. Arditti has a volumous blog that says nothing other than:
"Mayor, Brister and Masse Bad, Ambassador Bridge Co. Good"
Just Like I told Arditti, you can bitch and whine about the mayor all you want. Ain't nothing going to stop him from being mayor until 2010. I'd put money on him winning reelection even if he broke his promise.
You people think name calling is going to make him change his policies.
Well Good luck with that...
Let me know how it works out....
I will keep working towards the issues I think are important.
Mark said...
I disagree with this comment wholeheartedly. As General Motors once said "Whats good for General MOtors is good for the country"
James says...
General Motors, Good Year and Standard Oil were convicted of conspiring to eliminate inter-urban railways (trolley companies) by subsidizing the creation of municipal transit companies based on GM buses, rolling on Good Year tires and burning Standard Oil fuel. Rather than letting privatly owned light railways serve communities GM killed them in favour of their product. Today cities that were once served by trolley companies are now trying to build light rail systems because they are more efficient and have a lesser impact on the environment. Therefore, what is good for GM is good for GM. They are a multinational company that doesn't give a damn about communities. They care about profits and shareholders. Is Chanosos GM? I don't think so but at the same time your benevolence is good for your business.
Mark said...
But then again the writer goes on to say that we shouldn't seek to attract the creative class.
James says...
I did not say that members of the "creative class" should not be sought out. I did say that specifically marketing to this narrow demographic will make others feel unwelcome in downtown. I also pointed out that as a result of the benevolent actions of giant corporations like GM our global economy has found a way to take all the intellectual jobs and ship them overseas.
Mark says...
I don't listen to the "opinions" of others. What I do listen to is the repeatable successful proven strategies. I'd rather listen to that than some locals opinion who has never been outside WIndsor to see whats possible.
James says...
What is possible is that you, the outside consultants or myself could all be wrong. My comments caution against relying on the studies of other cities with different economies in different contexts. Similar to Mayor Francis you have a plan and you are not going to change it because you know what is good for downtown. It is not my opinion that white collar jobs, the bread and butter of the "creative class" are being shipped off shore, it is a fact. It is my opinion that downtown belongs to the whole city and that its destiny should be determined by a cross section of Windsorites in an open and unbiased forum.
Chris, give me a shout if you need any help with site changes. Happy to help in any way I can.
Thanks Paul. Regardless if I take you up on your offer or not, I think I owe you a pint or two...
Never have I felt so strongly about a blog comment being so wrong
". It is not my opinion that white collar jobs, the bread and butter of the "creative class" are being shipped off shore, it is a fact. "
Your definition of a white collar Job is way off, too limited.
Compare how many lawyers, health care workers, graphic designers there are now vs. 10 years ago, You'll find the numbers have risen by many multiples
You're not even counting the creative class. Virtually every one of the employees at my restaurants are part of the creative class. The servers at chanososo's spend their time as artists, musicians, graphic designers and many other extremely creative professions.
In fact you've reminded me that I'm not doing enough to support our employees. Look for an art show in the future exclusively dedicated to employees of Chanoso's
The 48 hour flick fest hosted 25 teams of local film makers. The top movies they made were nothing less than magnificent. Check them out at www.48hourflickfest.com and then tell me the creative class in Windsor is going down.
I'll show you a creative class
There is not an adjective to describe just how wrong you are.
Let me wade into these murky waters and see if we can draw something concrete out of this.
First, as every blogger (and poster) knows, sometimes our emotions run very high when we are penning our posts. I'm the worst for writing and posting, without taking the time to proof-read my post. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good. Passion for a topic can either help or hinder, but, in any event, must be dealt with.
Second, know that Mark, Chris and I have already had a discussion regarding the demographic that the DWBIA is courting in the downtown core. I'm married with four children, so my perspective on the amenities for downtown have a spin for the needs of my current situation. Like it or not, we all do what we do because, in the end, we think it will make it better for ourselves, whether we acknowledge that or lump ourselves into the collective community. The diversity of the voices contributing to SDW, just based on the current editorial staff, is fairly broad, though we are always looking to expand that diversity within the bounds of our "mandate".
Third, SDW is not the DWBIA. Not to let the cat out of the bag, but there have been significant discussions about how to use the limited resources (hey, nobody is getting paid, by ANYONE, to write this blog) of SDW for the betterment of Windsor. We want to be more than just wordsmiths; we want to translate our ideas into actions. That will involve some gracious self-promotion, etc etc to get us some attention, but we really are trying to make a difference in the city. The DWBIA is held to a particular subset of our city. SDW will work with the DWBIA, and other BIAs, Resident's Associations, community groups, etc to further the ideals of creating a sustainable, diverse and interactive city, but we are not under the direction, guidance or will of any organization.
Mark is passionate about downtown because he has literally put his money where his mouth is and invested in a property, creating businesses that contribute to the betterment of the core while providing jobs and tax revenues for the city. While I don't see eye-to-eye on everything he says (nor do Chris Holt and I for that matter!), I respect his opinion, and his nearly insane ability to translate ideas to actions, so much that I am giving my time, talents (ahem!) and knowledge to support some very downtown-centric plans.
Nobody owns SDW or the opinions that are expressed here. We are unique individuals, with all of the anomolies and quirks that go along with them. A saying from my more rebellious (read: protester) days seems fitting here -- "The people, united, will never be defeated." If we divide ourselves, we will fail. If we can unite together, not in spite of our differences, but because of our differences, we will succeed in making Windsor into something better than it is today.
Hmm, I hope that helps.
Wow! Mark, your language is pretty strong.
So, I “Wikied” creative class and here is what they say:
The creative class is a group of people that social scientist Dr. Richard Florida, Hirst Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University, believes are a key driving force for economic development of post-industrial cities in the USA.
The "Creative Class" concept is controversial, as is Florida's methodology. He breaks the Class into two broad sections, derived from standard SOC codes data sets:
• Creative Professionals: "Knowledge workers" and expanding to include lawyers and physicians.
• Super-Creative Core: This comprises about twelve percent of all U.S. jobs. This group is deemed to contain a huge range of occupations (e.g. architecture, education, computer programming) with arts, design, and media workers making a small subset.
Then I clicked on knowledge worker:
Knowledge worker, a term coined by Peter Drucker in 1959, is one who works primarily with information or one who develops and uses knowledge in the workplace.
Due to the constant industrial growth in North America and globally, there is increasing need for an academically capable workforce. In direct response to this, Knowledge Workers are now estimated to outnumber all other workers in North America by at least a four to one margin (Haag et al, 2006, pg. 4).
A Knowledge Worker's benefit to a company could be in the form of developing business intelligence, increasing the value of intellectual capital, gaining insight into customer preferences, or a variety of other important gains in knowledge that aid the business
Mark my use of the term “white collar” covers the larger group of creative professionals. Your idea of the creative class seems to be limited to the small subset of the super-creative core.
Here are two media stories from Bloomberg.com highlighting the off-shoring of creative class jobs.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=akN.rUGvG.5M
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a_bc6P8Vi0ls
James
You're correct about the creative class definition, my examples were done in haste. I just don't know how you can draw the conclusion from your post that this demographic is shrinking.
I apologize for the strong language in the post as I meant no offence. I have never been good at getting across my sentiment over the internet.
I think this is a good discussion. I think that defining the demographic that Downtown should be going after is extremely important.
I've been to several seminars on the topic and I am just going by those presenters unless someone shows me a flaw in their logic.
The entire concept of the creative class is based on the assertion that the more different demographics you make a part of your community the better off your community will be. So its not as if I don't want to welcome all
The people that I've met simply said that seeking out the "Singles, Mingles and Jingles" was the best bang for your recruitment dollars. This means post secondary graduates who are just entering the workforce, Couples without children and retirees.
That downtown's main asset is the amount of things you can do with your time and these demographics have the best ability to take advantage of that. They will respond to marketing dollars more than families and we simply do not have the resources to try to cover everyone.
As for the downtown thing. This is not a downtown blog, I am but one contributor to this blog who happens to have immersed himself in the improvement of downtown. My posts will always be downtown centric as that is the prism from which I view life
I have always maintained that everything I work towards downtown should be translated to all the other areas of our core. (I usually define that by the other BIA's or Wards 2,3,4)
I also assert that since you cannot effect change with out focus, the natural place to focus is in your downtown.
Look at Detroit as an example. The city is losing 50,000 people annually but because they focused on their downtown, they have actually grew their residential population by 1-2,000 last year.
Focusing on an area works, it also sets a template for the rest of the city.
As for the language of the posts, I love the debate, I tell people that arguing with me is like mudwrestling with a pig, after about an hour you realize the pig's enjoying himself.
Mark, don’t worry about offending me. I’m a big boy. In fact when I read your comment I actually laughed a little, because it seemed like I hit a nerve.
I don’t think the “creative class” is disappearing. I wanted to point out that even those careers are threatened by the forces of globalization. They are not necessarily the future for this community or our national economy.
The greatest obstacle we face is what has become the new norm. We have lost sight of what was and we embrace every new fad just as long as it is well packaged and marketed.
I look at many of these city restorations as social experiments. Maybe they’ll work in the long run, maybe they won’t.
The kind of person that I am, I tend to look to tradition and find the safest way to accomplish a goal. Minimal risk is the name of my game. The most successful urban centres IMO are not the cities that have had to reinvent themselves. The most successful urban centres are the ones that have managed to maintain a balance of land uses and the kind of people living in them. Without a reasonable balance of land uses, manufacturing and commercial activity and residences we cannot create communities. To my way of thinking community growth should be the ultimate goal.
All this got started because you posted a blog that said everyone in the Windsor blogosphere that just bitches and whines is not contributing to fixing our problems. Unfortunately unless these problems are fixed no amount of getting on with it is going to bring our city back. The Mayors Office, City Council and the City Administrators all control land use through zoning by-laws, their actions determine how our city is seen by investors and by not reacting to their constituents they fuel our frustration. If members of the blogosphere community start to dismiss the complaints of our peers then we’re no better than the Mayor, Council and City.
Actually, my problem is with the bloggers who have made certain conclusions and simply manipulate every happening in Windsor to support their foregone conclusions.
Sure I painted all bloggers with the same brush unfairly but thats because I see many bloggers starting to edge into the rut created by the worst.
Again, how many volumes of information do I need to read to back up the assertion that a certain blogger hates the mayor, Brister, Masse and loves the Ambassador Bridge Company.
If I were the Ambassador Bridge Company I'd be very concerned about being associated with this blogger even if that association is only through his love letters. People like me who originally had no animosity towards the Bridge company will eventually group them together.
You think that I am following fads with examples such as the "creative Class". I don't, every initiative I've supported has followed examples that have repeated provability.
Check out the Link http://www.challengesofchange.ca/summit_report.pdf
Windosor's challenges of CHange summit also observed that:
The number of persons employed in “creative” occupations
has steadily increased to the point where one in three
are now employed in “creative” occupations.
You think that the best examples are downtowns that didn't "Reinvent themselves".
I'd really like to know what examples of successful downtowns you think are models
The IDA panel recommended the examples that we look at
Kalamazoo, Michigan;
Indianapolis, Indiana;
Burlington, Vermont; and
Kingston, Ontario
Kalamazoo lost its main business being the pharmaceutical industry, these are all smaller cities that have very achievable accomplishments.
Again, this is not a fad, these are proven examples.
Thanks for the reply Mark. I am glad we have a champion such as yourself to help guide this city. heaven knows we need all of the help we can get.
I hope that I may inthe future be able to contribute my thoughts to the re-emergence of downtown and also to the rest of Windsor.
Mark -
The bottom line comes from the fact that people are frustrated. You have publicly stated your frustration in the media from time to time.
However, you have the ways and means to effect change.
What does Joe Windsor have? They are ignored at council. Emails not returned. Meetings held in secrecy. Decisions made without public input. I could go further, but hopefully you see my point.
My overall comment was your negative comments were detracting from your overall message which is in my opinion, admirable.
But downtown and Windsor politics are two different issues.
The thing I find most interesting, and just not in reference to your comments, is the amount of attention "this other blogger" is garnering.
If he is so irrelevant, why do people insist on referencing him?
You know, I don't have a problem with people expressing their points of view. I disagree sometimes, but nonetheless, it is their opinion and I weigh their arguments and determine the relevancy.
No different than Gord Henderson's column, Windsor Star editorial or letters to the editor.
One man's opinion, including my own, is just that - my own.
The point is, if Mayor and Council were more open, more straight forward with their objectives, and actually invited public participation, 90% of my own blogs would be unnecessary.
Name calling is not conducive, I would agree. But if any blogger partakes in that, I think the public who read those blogs can see through that and will judge accordingly.
But it amazes me the amount of attention to paid to the blogs. My assessment - blogs are just an extension of the public forum.
One idea from one individual to add to the masses. Personally, the blogs are a benefit - it gives people the opportunity, like here, to debate and share ideas. People can take away information or reject it.
I think the blogosphere, of not only in Windsor but other municipalities - blogging is not only limited to Windsor.
Which is why I find the response to blogs somewhat perplexing.
If they are so irrelevant - ignore them. If they are so offensive, ignore them.
People are intelligent enough to differentiate between valid arguments and personal opinion.
I still don't get your position Chris, Everyone's entitled to an opinion except me?.
All I did was post my opinion.
All I did was call out the BS that some guy is spewing.
That its one thing to offer an opinion but this blogger claims to know whats in the hearts and minds of others. Thats the main difference between him and you.
Yeah, he's popular, so's the national enquirer. I wouldn't make the claim that it is news. In this case its entertainment for those who choose to hate.
Ah well, good luck to the Ambassador Bridge Company with having him as their biggest fan. They'll need it
Mark said...
“You think that I am following fads with examples such as the "creative Class". I don't, every initiative I've supported has followed examples that have repeated provability.”
I spent the morning reading reviews and critiques of Richard Florida’s work and concepts. I found some very interesting things: such as the research he uses to support his theory was mostly collected during the mid to late 1990’s. Most of his critics point out that this was during the dot.com boom and since that bubble burst many of the creative class that were making and spending money were young dot.comers. In today’s economy the venture capital, once available to these young computer whizzes is gone and so they no longer carry the same economic clout.
From the winter, 2004 issue of City Journal, writer Steven Malanga looked at Florida’s “Most Creative Cities” and his “Least Creative Cities” and compared them using U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics for Job Growth. The Least Creative Cities increased their jobs by over 60%. The Most Creative Cities increased the number of jobs too, but by less than 40%.
Then there was this quote by Florida, “The Rise of the Creative Class has little to do with making cities yuppie-friendly, though leftist critics have tried to frame it (and belittle its message) in that way. My core message is that human creativity is the ultimate source of economic growth. Every single person is creative in some way. And to fully tap and harness that creativity we must be tolerant, diverse, inclusive.”
If this is his core message, then those things already exist in many cities, including Windsor. There is no need to make the creative class feel special as long as the community is tolerant, diverse and inclusive. I also have a real issue with the buzz word “creative class”. It’s just too broad. To say that one third of the work force qualifies as creative class kind of kills any uniqueness that could be attributed to a person that truly earns their living from their creativity – like graphic designers, musicians, sculptors and so on.
The message I’ve repeated in a number of my comments on this blog is that downtown has to appeal to the broadest base of the city. There has to be a reason for every person to come downtown.
As for my considering this just another fad, remember “urban renewal” or “edge cities”. Richard Florida’s “Creative Class” my just end up in the same dustbin with those gems.
The bursting tech bubble will be remember for generations to come, but, and I really wish I could remember which news source I read this in, the Bubble 2.0 is already coming. I think it has to do, in part, to the groundwork being laid for the next generation internet. The key is not to stop Globalization (that's a force we cannot stop), but rather to make us competetive at a global level while focusing on the quality of life in Windsor. Even if our professionals, regardless of their industry, are competing on a global level, if we are giving them a reason to spend their globally earned dollars in Windsor then we are doing our job. Housing, entertainment, necessities, they all must be in place to support a knowledge based economy. Heck, you'd think that with all the multiple degree holders in Windsor, thanks to union negotiated tuition reimbursement programs, that we'd be happy to move towards the new economy.
Look, I agree with you that we should not be exclusive to the creative class.
I'm only saying that if I have a fixed amount to spend on recruiting residents, I'm not going to spread that money over the entire population of Windsor.
I'm going to focus it on the groups that will respond to my message best.
I'm going to focus on the fact that Downtown has the most amenities in the city by far and focus my moneys on the groups that can take advantage of those amenities the most. That group just happens to be people without young children.
If I tell parents with young children to come downtown, I'm going to make them angry as they point out the massage parlors, the kiddie bars, the lack of a downtown specific signage bylaw.
Until I can convince our city to put their resources behind fixing those problems, I'm going to focus my resources on attracting the demographic referred to as singles, mingles and jingles.
Those just out of post secondary education, young couples without children and retirees.
They have the most to gain from a downtown lifestyle.
Florida is still going, but don't just use him as an example use Kalamazoo or Kingston if you can relate to their downtowns better.
They have travelled the path that I advocate we follow. They have similar problems.
I'm curious why you still haven't identified a city that you say we should emulate. When you talk about 60% vs 40% thats not good enough, I'd rather have my 200,000 city grow by 40% than my 50,000 population grow by 60%.
I'd rather go by the specific city and look at whether it is some place I'd like to live.
I'm in Naples Florida which experienced tremendous growth. It's a pedestrian unfriendly city. Thats not the future I want to envision to Windsor
Who do you want to be, what is your vision? Thats what I'm talking about in this whole post. Stop telling us what we don't want to be and tell us who we should be.
Who should Windsor model after? And don't refuse to give an example, we don't need a "made in Windsor Example" we need a proven successful model that gets "TAILORED to Windsor" Anything else would be a foolish gamble
London, Paris, New York, Toronto, Montreal all cities that have managed to keep major businesses, attractions and residential populations in their cores. How about Victoria, Cairo, Barcelona? What makes these cities so special that their populations still visit their city centres? And not just the locals, people come from all over the world to visit these places. Why? Because they are cities that are inclusive and there is a reason for any person with a variety of interests to visit any of them.
My vision of downtown Windsor, is Ouellette lined end to end with retail stores and services. The most important architects, engineers, bankers, lawyers and doctors in offices overlooking Ouellette. How about an expanded city museum, something a little more complete than the Baby House? I want people downtown. That means homes and stores and schools and little playgrounds in the middle of the blocks. Because Mark, if you attract young singles and couples downtown, eventually they will have kids and if those amenities aren’t there, those singles, that became mingles that became families are heading out to Forest Glade.
Downtown Windsor should be the centre of the city, period. There should be amenities and activities that will welcome every single person in the city and county. If you can’t convince the people of Windsor/Essex to come to downtown; how are you ever going to convince some talented young kid who could go anywhere to start his career, to live in Windsor?
Those growth figures I quoted were based on Florida’s top 10 and bottom 10 creative cities. The top ten includes places like San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. The bottom 10 included cities such as New Orleans, Las Vegas, Memphis, and Oklahoma City. I wouldn’t be interested in many of the bottom cities, well maybe Memphis but the point is that Florida’s creativity index does not correlate in the real world to actual job growth. Just because your city seems creative does not mean more jobs.
I haven’t been to Kalamazoo since I was younger, but Kingston, come on. That city can sell itself purely on tourism; The Royal Military College, Fort Henry and Wolfe Island plus a university that is among the most prestigious in Ontario.
I’m going to finish with a word of caution to you Mr. Boscariol. Twice in this string of comments you have written things that may be interpreted as contempt for the citizens of this city. The first was your comment that you don’t listen to the “opinions” of locals. And in your latest post you have said that you don’t need a made in Windsor (example? or solution?). You have also misquoted me at least once. You may see yourself as the “champion” of downtown much like the blogger that you maligned in your original post may believe that he is a “champion”. However, if you tell the people that read this blog and the rest of the city that you don’t value their input you will lose our support.
James
I do believe Sam Dragich would take offense to your immature rants Mark.
Grow up !
The majority of the cities you have mentioned are 1million population plus. Portland is the closest population and creative city you've mentioned
I agree with you about the amenities. However the best way to get couples with children is to recruit them from the mingles segment that is already downtown. I think you want to go right to step 2 without recruiting the "mingles" first.
I apologize for misquoting you. There was no excuse for that.
Although I wouldn't refer to it as contempt, I do have a problem respecting people's positions that are not researched.
When I became Vice Chair of the DWBIA, everyone called me the "idea guy". I've rarely had an original idea, I just know how to use Google.
Too many times people put forward plans without doing the most basic research. That is a serious pet peeve of mine. As an example our city formed a parking task force that submitted "Made in Windsor" recommendations to raise rates.
They did even look to find that there was a host of resources and solutions available to them before making a wrongheaded and simplistic solution. They didn't consult the International Parking institute, the Canadian Parking Association, the Toronto Parking Authority and they didn't even bother to pick up a copy of "Parking Today" magazine
If they would have they would have addressed problems such as onstreet/vs off street parking rates, Two tiered parking rates, and a whole host of other solutions that wouldn't require raising rates for the majority of Windsorites.
That kind of "Made In WIndsor" mentality that doesn't look at the outside world does indeed bother me. Thats why I like "Tailored to Windsor" Solutions. Take the best from the world and apply it to our city.
P.S. Sam (Simeon) Drakich, if you can't take it, stop dishing it out.
as for calling me immature, Hey pot, this is kettle, your black.
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