I know that we've got a HUGE job ahead of us when it comes to getting out the word about the importance of strengthening our established built environment at the expense of continuing our unsustainable outward sprawl development. (just look at what the county folks are going through just to provide their residents with basic necessities, like public transortation)That has always been the stated goal of SDW, and it appears that it is a much needed goal. From today's Windsor Star, who reported on Windsor's recently released census data;
Most of Windsor's established neighbourhoods, such as Sandwich, Walkerville, Riverside and Forest Glade, shrunk in population over the past five years, while South Windsor and new subdivisions between Lauzon and Banwell roads grew dramatically.
According to census data released this week, while the city's population grew by 3.5 per cent, to 216,473 from 209,218, the growth wasn't evenly spread.
A swath of land in neighbourhoods along the Detroit River from Jefferson Avenue west to Broadway Street, excluding Ford City, experienced declines in population between 2001 and 2006.
Most areas west of Pierre Avenue saw steep, double-digit dives."It means fewer people are occupying the same amount of space," said Jim Yanchula, acting city planner.
It also means that the costs of sprawl have yet to make it to the forefront of peoples minds. That will happen sooner or later. Personally, I would rather be prepared and continue working at fixing our core.
Speaking of fixing our core, how is it that two prominent Windsorites, Lawyer Jeffrey Slopen and Freeds co-owner Dan Orman can have such opposite views when it comes to our local retail environment. Oh yeah, one's a proponent of Wal-Mart, and one co-owns a multi-generational local independant business. One says that Windsor has room for more big-box retail at the fringe of the city, and the other says that Windsor is over-retailed. "We also recognize there is a great deal of competition in this marketplace from Walker Road, Tecumseh and Windsor Crossing, not to mention the proposed big-box site near LaSalle," said Orman. "In our view, Windsor is over-retailed"..."There are very few independents in any of the retail sectors any more and those that survive do so out of loyalty and relationships developed with both their customers and their suppliers."
Who do you believe?
