Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Global Revitalization Lessons

There's a battle in the West to reclaim city streets as part of our collective wealth as people-places and social havens. The following is from the organization New York City Streets Rennaisance, and their findings and critiques are equally applicable to Windsor, along with pretty much every other city on this continent. They even take the step of offering global examples of successful metropolitan areas that we can educate ourselves with. Just substitute "Windsor" when you read "New York", and you can visualize what we must do as a city to bring life back to our streets.

New York is a city best enjoyed on foot, yet we plan our streets for cars.

New York City's streets are the soul of its neighborhoods and the pathways to some of the world's most in-demand destinations. For generations, New Yorkers and visitors have strolled, shopped and socialized on sidewalks and street corners. Pedestrian friendly streets are the city's most fundamental assets.
Unfortunately, we aren't making the most of these assets. Instead, our streets are being managed almost entirely for traffic flow, with neighborhoods and business districts buckling under increasing amounts of dangerous car and truck traffic. If we continue planning our streets for cars and traffic, we will get more cars and traffic; conversely, if we start planning our cities for people and places, we will get more people and places.
Streets are more than just car corridors; they are valuable civic spaces and resources that need to be wisely allocated. The New York City Streets Renaissance Campaign is building the movement to re-imagine our streets as lively public places.

Goals of the New York City Streets Renaissance

- Educate New Yorkers about potential transportation policy changes that will improve quality of life across New York City
- Promote a rebalancing of this public space away from private vehicles and toward community needs
- Demonstrate the widespread public support for reform on these issues
- Tap the potential of New Yorkers to re-imagine their own streets

The choice is clear: either we choose to be defined by worsening traffic and perilous streets or we can define ourselves through great public spaces and lively streets. Through action and dialogue New Yorkers can raise expectations for their public realm.

Join our city-wide campaign for local improvements that reflect your neighborhood's unique character.

Now, Windsor just needs to follow NYCSR's example and develop a similar group of our own. Any takers?

Urban Agriculture Information

ed: As I promised in a previous post, here is some contact information for those interested in buliding community through local urban food production.

FedUp - Windsor’s community gardening network
Since the spring of 2007, FedUp has practiced and encouraged
collective gardening, harvesting, distribution, food preparation and preservation, and culinary celebration.
Help FedUp Grow
Anyone who wants to help build our region’s capacity for local, organic food production and distribution is encouraged to join our network. Do you have space that you want to contribute? We will build, maintain, and harvest a garden, dependent on the availability of gardeners. Do you want to garden? We will coordinate interested gardeners, and provide them with space, help, and advise as needed. Do you have a surplus from your own gardens? Please don’t let it go to waste.
We will collect and distribute it to those in need. Do you have fruit trees that go unharvested?
Please tell us. We will harvest them so that all of us can enjoy their bounty. Do you have gardening wisdom that you’d like to share with a new generation of gardeners?

Our first three sites

Over the last 5 months, about 15 people have worked FedUp’s three donated sites.

Malden Rd. (the south-east corner of Malden Rd. and Lambton) has presented us with many challenges (like deer, rabbits and a very dry summer), but continues to bring joy to its gardeners.

The Ecohouse (793 Sunset Ave.) provides us with an outdoor space amid a garden that has been tended with care, for our weekly potlucks, meetings, and discussions.

Moy St. took lots of digging by FedUp’s ‘head digger’ and others, and has reciprocated with lots of produce.

Join us for Sunday Potlucks 6pm in the backyard of the Ecohouse (793 Sunset Ave.): anyone can come and share their favourite dish, get to know their fellow gardeners, and participate in discussions about FedUp, gardening practices, and food politics.

Cooking Workshop
noon on August 26th: two of our gardeners will use produce from our gardens to lead a participatory cooking workshop. We’ll make: Gazpacho, Peperonata with Garlic Crustini, Stuffed Zucchini, and Lemon Lavendar Scones. There’s limited space, so please RSVP by Aug 20th by phoning 519-258-8398 or emailing maya.ruggles@gmail.com.