Sunday, January 27, 2008

The 905 view on Strip Clubs and Sprawl

"The more we build traditional, mixed-use neighbourhoods which bring a variety of family activities closer together, the harder it is for undesirable activities to spring up among us, and the safer our streets become for everyone."
That's how Toronto Sun columnist Marianne Meed Ward ended her article in Saturday's issue titled Stripping away urban planning concepts which argued that "(i)mplementing mixed-use zoning is the antidote (to single-use zoned "pods" for working, living and playing). Mixed-use planning is essentially traditional town planning, where homes, shops, employment, and recreational and cultural centres are integrated, sometimes beside each other, sometimes stacked, but always in close proximity."

So read through her article (thanks for the link, Paul!), and to make it a little more Windsor-relevant, substitute "Massage Parlours" for strip clubs and you can see how this applies to our downtown's revitalization. You'll see that the solutions are out there, we just need the political will to implement them...

ED: click here to read a Florida economist's view on sprawl and its lasting legacy.