For many of us in Generation X Mr. Rogers was a staple of television life in our definitve years. I still remember his cheery song, "Won't you be mine? Won't you be mine? Won't you be my neighbour?" Mr. Rogers was a true urban visionary with his veiled advocacy for a walkable and diverse neighbourhood. In spite of being a product of the automotive driven sprawl fanatacism that still permeats our culture today, Rogers was able to, with a change of shoes, find all that he needed in his mixed use habitat. Though Mr. Rogers wasn't really a new urbanism advocate, he was a concerned neighbour, a friend, hoping to make a positive change in his little part of the world.
I've been thinking about neighbours since moving to a new neighbourhood last year. South Windsor is highly car dependant, with a glaring lack of sidewalks and streetlights to impede its' walkability. In spite of the challenges I see multitudes of people out walking, riding their bikes and otherwise engaged in the experience of living in a diverse neighbourhood. Alas, my generation is quite addicted to our 'convenient' automobiles, but the older generation, many who have lived in the area since it was built in the mid-50s, take the time stroll the streets, mingle with neighbours, and stoke the fires of friendship that have burned for decades.
I'm quite proud of my little block on Academy Drive. When we moved in our neighbours, who have lived in their home since it was built, came to introduce themselves. They quickly got our names and phone number and added us to the neighbourhood directory. We were invited to the neighbourhood BBQ held every August and got the low-down on all of the neighbours; who had kids (more than I thought), who liked kids (pretty much everyone) and a myriad of other neighbourhood history. Although there are no sidewalks on my street the neighbours religiously reclaim the road for impromptu discussions, often under the auspice of "trying to round up the kids" or, my personal favourite, "mowing the lawn". Our small block takes pride in bucking the trend of isolation, instead cultivating and developing strong personal ties within our little enclave of urban happiness.
The real sense of community was displayed last Sunday when Windsor got its' first winter storm of the season and, even before the snow had stopped, neighbours were out shoveling their driveways. However, instead of each neighbour tackling their own drive neighbours swarmed each others driveway clearing the snow with military precision. From driveway to driveway this little army of snow shovels traveled, enjoying the process of simply being together.
It behooves each of us who cherish the neighbourhoods that we live in to echo the call of Mr. Rogers and ask our fellow citizens, "Won't you be my neighbour?" Sure, it means turning off the television, putting away the iPod, logging off the internet and going outside to interact with each other, but our future depends on restoring the strong human interaction that technological conveniences have unwittingly stripped from us. I am sure that you will find, as we have in our neighbourhood, that the richness of friendship and a vibrant community far surpass the electronic solitude sold to us as mass media.
I've been thinking about neighbours since moving to a new neighbourhood last year. South Windsor is highly car dependant, with a glaring lack of sidewalks and streetlights to impede its' walkability. In spite of the challenges I see multitudes of people out walking, riding their bikes and otherwise engaged in the experience of living in a diverse neighbourhood. Alas, my generation is quite addicted to our 'convenient' automobiles, but the older generation, many who have lived in the area since it was built in the mid-50s, take the time stroll the streets, mingle with neighbours, and stoke the fires of friendship that have burned for decades.
I'm quite proud of my little block on Academy Drive. When we moved in our neighbours, who have lived in their home since it was built, came to introduce themselves. They quickly got our names and phone number and added us to the neighbourhood directory. We were invited to the neighbourhood BBQ held every August and got the low-down on all of the neighbours; who had kids (more than I thought), who liked kids (pretty much everyone) and a myriad of other neighbourhood history. Although there are no sidewalks on my street the neighbours religiously reclaim the road for impromptu discussions, often under the auspice of "trying to round up the kids" or, my personal favourite, "mowing the lawn". Our small block takes pride in bucking the trend of isolation, instead cultivating and developing strong personal ties within our little enclave of urban happiness.
The real sense of community was displayed last Sunday when Windsor got its' first winter storm of the season and, even before the snow had stopped, neighbours were out shoveling their driveways. However, instead of each neighbour tackling their own drive neighbours swarmed each others driveway clearing the snow with military precision. From driveway to driveway this little army of snow shovels traveled, enjoying the process of simply being together.
It behooves each of us who cherish the neighbourhoods that we live in to echo the call of Mr. Rogers and ask our fellow citizens, "Won't you be my neighbour?" Sure, it means turning off the television, putting away the iPod, logging off the internet and going outside to interact with each other, but our future depends on restoring the strong human interaction that technological conveniences have unwittingly stripped from us. I am sure that you will find, as we have in our neighbourhood, that the richness of friendship and a vibrant community far surpass the electronic solitude sold to us as mass media.
6 comments:
Your 'hood is on my delivery route twice a day and yes, I have noticed there is always people walking around that area, chatting with each other, strolling with their dogs, etc. It's a byproduct of one of the older areas of south windsor that have matured into real neighbourhoods where people know each other and don't hide away in their rec. rooms and back yards.
Some neighbourhoods seem to "have it" and others don't. We used to live in one that "had it" and still keep in touch with some of our old neighbours.
John: That's why, at SDW, we are differentiating between Old South Windsor and South Windsor. OSW has become a walking (vs walkable) neighbourhood, in spite of the infrastructure shortcomings. South Windsor (Southwood Lakes, etc.) was designed for motorized transportation.
OSW shows what a group of concerned citizens can do to change/impact their social environment, even if they can't change their built environment.
We're going to have to figure out how to geographically differentiate between the two, so we can advocate on behalf of the neighbourhoods that still have a chance at a walkable future.
I grew up in "Old" south Windsor (inner ring, post WWII suburb), and regularly walked to the N&D plaza for all my family's everyday needs and necessities (this was back in the day an 8 year old could buy his mother cigarettes). It seems as though those amenities have been removed from the neighbourhood and transplanted further out into the second and third ring exburbs.
First N&D closed up (I heard that it is still owned by the Zehrs chain and will not allow another supermarket in there) then the Zehrs at Dougall/West Grand closed up shop and moved out to the Legacy Park area. There is no longer anywhere close enough to buy groceries if you cannot/will not drive.
There isn't much left for someone to walk to any longer. Pity, because if you look at the N&D plaza (s/w corner of Grand Marais and Dominion), it is almost SCREAMING for a mixed-use redevelopment, with residential up and retail below. the bones are there, but it would just need a progressive developer to come in and take control.
Can you imagine a better town centre for the new-and-improved Old South Windsor?
Granted, N&D closing was a big hit, but I would not go so far as to say "there isn't much left" for the walking citizen. Yorktown Plaza and its poor cousin on the other side of Dominion both have a nice assortment of small businesses - including Medel's, Nana's Bakery, and Homestyle Deli where between the three of them you can find a nice cross section of food items, particularly ethnic/specialty. There is Deb's Diner for breakfast or lunch (and no drive thru). The plaza is home to one of Windsor's last real hardware stores. You have an old time barber shop, a dry cleaner, pizzaria, pet food store, and even a montessori. And this is all stuff off the top of my head. Run out of milk or bread, and you have a Beckers on the corner. And Chris you would surely enjoy having one of Windsor's better bike shops around the corner too. Tell me when to stop.
I would have included Tim Horton's and the Shoppers Drug Mart on the happy list if it weren't for their horribly configured drive thru's. When traversing that little roadway you have to watch for kamakaze minivans bombing out with their double doubles and timbits. :(
But in all seriousness, I don't think it's a bad intersection at all, with or without a full size grocery store.
I stand corrected, John, and you are absolutely right. This intersection is far from dead. Leo Santarosa at the South Windsor Barber Shop was the first person ever to cut my hair almost (gulp) 40 years ago, and he is still there cutting away. Rob Renaud, proprietor of Bicycle World, is the only bike retailer I go to. That family run business - while you must wait a while because of their popularity - has treated me well for well over 10 years, as well as the hundreds of people I have sent there. Be sure to say "Hi" from Chris next time you're in there.
I guess my pet-peeve is the fact that there is so much possibility for that intersection, as there is such a large population density surrounding it. There must be thousands upon thousands of people within walking distance, yet it still doesn't receive the recognition it deserves.
One of our goals with this forum is to organize residents into lobbying organizations who can enact a lot of positive change on their own behalf and advocate for positive change in their neighbourhoods. Maybe an Old South Windsor Residents Association is in order? I just so happen to know a few people in that 'hood who might be interested in helping out.
Actually, the population density of so-called Old South Windsor has probably been declining over the past 20 years - which partially explains why N&D closed.
I suspect there are plenty of empty nester households. Most neighbourhoods go through a life cycle. What this area needs is newlyweds and young families.
I believe that the family that owned the N&D supermarkets continue to own the former buildings and land.
For the record, the Zehrs at Dougall/Grand did not relocate to the Legacy Park area. This former Zehrs is now a Real Canadian Wholesale Club (formerly known as National Grocers Cash & Carry and formerly located on McDougall, north of Eugenie).
As to redevelopment, yes that site has potential. I remember using that area for a group project at the U of W. Unfortunately, given the economic climate of Windsor, any redevelopment is not going to happen anytime soon.
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