Gallagher Leads Out

For the second time in as many weeks I'm writing to commend Mary Jean Gallagher for stepping up, and out, in the cause of preservation -- this time with the environment. As announced in today's Windsor Star, David Suzuki is lending is his namesake to the amalgamated Princess Anne and Coronation Public Schools. While that, in and of itself, is newsworthy (apparently David Suzuki is more action than showmanship -- now go figure!), what the school board is doing to earn the respect of the Canadian Eco-Crusader is down right stunning.

The combined school, originally pegged at $9 million, is getting another $2 million in upgrades to implement some of the most state-of-the-art green technologies available. The intent, according to the article, is to make this school a model for the rest of Canada. Along with a living roof, they will use plants to filter the air in the school, recycle and reuse grey water and rainwater, and, I am sure, a host of other initiatives. All I can say is 'Bravo!' It is about time that our government institutions led out by example.

Giving kudos to the school board two weeks running (those who know me know that having a special needs child means I have somewhat of a love-hate relationship with the board at times) is something I never thought that I would do, which led to me start thinking about our fair city. If the school board can green its' projects, what makes doing the same thing on a city scale so difficult? How many projects fail to muster even a simple nod to being green, let alone measure up to the veracity of the GECDSB?

I say that it is high time that the city council stop meddling in the affairs of the administration, especially the public works department. Elected officials have no place in the planning or practice of running a city! That's right, you heard it from me first. I think that elected officials should keep their hands, and minds, out of running the city. Leave it to the professionals. Apparently the county officials who sit on the county council want to get a pay raise to bring them on par with their "counterparts" (I think they mean private business counterparts) who "manage millions of dollars". (Some may suggest it is more of a mismanagement) They are insuating that they are exactly as I picture them -- over-paid, and under-qualified, money managers. In my opinion we need more credentialled councillors -- elected officials with some real knowledge on how to run a city. Let's elect urban planners, environmentalists, engineers, accountants, etc. It's time to stop making elections popularity contests -- it obviously isn't working in Windsor -- and start electing based on what has been done, not on what will be done.

Case in point -- anybody who saw what Jimmy Yanchula and his team put together for the city centre west proposal knows that we have some A-1 people at work behind the scenes. In fact, in talking with some of the consultants who worked on those projects, they were often encouraged by those outside the project to "tone down" the innovation to make is more palatable for city council. Shame on council! This is the time to innovate. Windsor really has nothing else to lose -- it really can't get much worse.

Again, kudos to Mary Jean and the gang at the GECDSB for leading out and doing the right thing. Hopefully our city will follow suit and start innovating. With the opportunity to have the U of W Engineering school downtown (hopefully!) we may be well on our way to having our educational institutions show the rest of us, city council included, how green living can be sustainable both ecologically and financially.

Celebrate Walking

Just to remind everyone that there is a lot to be thankful for with the ability to use your feet.

Take a stroll through your community. Get to know your neighbours. Stop and say hi. Know that you are doing your part in building a strong, connected community.

This just in from Spacing Wire...

Walking Life is a month-long exhibition, showcasing work created both by artists and community members, that celebrates the experience of walking.

The exhibition will run at the Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W., 3rd and 4th floors, from Sunday September 9 to Thursday October 4, from 12:00-5:00 pm every day. Admission is free.
There will be an opening reception at the Gladstone on Sunday September 9, from 6:00-9:00 pm.
The goals for Walking Life are quite simple. First and foremost, we hope to generate excitement about walking. We’d like to inspire people to reclaim (aka: use!) the sidewalks as public space. We’d like to inspire people to think about the pedestrian experience. And, we’d like people to contemplate the environments in which they walk. We have asked people of all kinds to convey their experiences through art, because the creative process has the potential to stimulate contemplation, interesting discussion and even innovation.

The exhibition is, in part, a prelude to the

Walk 21 conference being hosted by the City of Toronto in early October.

Dave Hall's Business Beat

In case you missed this in todays Star. Thanks to Dave Hall for the information...

TWO OUELLETTE AVENUE PROPERTIES CHANGE HANDS

A pair of Ouellette Avenue properties, just south of Wyandotte Street, recently changed hands but there's no indication yet as to what the new owners plan to do with the buildings.

One of the properties at 801 Ouellette, which is currently operating under the name Club 801, sold for $600,000 after being originally listed for $999,000. And 720 Ouellette, which formerly housed Classic II bingo hall, sold for its asking price of $745,000. The club covers about 40,000 square feet on two floors while the former bingo hall comprises 14,000 square feet on one floor.

DOWNTOWN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION ESTABLISHES HOSPITALITY PANEL

The Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association has established a hospitality resource panel designed to address issues affecting the struggling entertainment/hospitality industry with a unified voice and strategy.

The panel will be made up of two reps from the DWBIA, two from each of the hospitality, safety, development and community sectors and two council members appointed for a term of one year.
Its mandate will be to encourage and promote a strong hospitality industry in the city core which will include developing a coordinated approach to licensing, education and enforcement.
Among the key issues are discount drink prices, collection of so-called last-drink data to determine where inebriated patrons had their last drink, codes of conduct for both the industry and its patrons and a list of best practices.

Initial budget for the panel will be $60,000 which is being shared equally by the city and the DWBIA.

MARK MELDRUM SCHEDULED TO KICK OFF BREAKFAST SERIES

Mark Meldrum, a professor of entrepreneurship with the Odette School of Business at the University of Windsor, will be the featured speaker Sept. 20 when the school's breakfast series kicks off for the new season.

Meldrum will be speaking on innovation and the environment in a presentation entitled "First we kill all the central bankers."

The sessions run from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. in the McPherson Lounge of Alumni Hall on Sunset Avenue.
Other scheduled speakers include Tony Faria on current global and regional automotive trends and how they affect the Big Three on Oct. 11, Edwin Tam on corporate responsibility and sustainability on Nov. 15 and Craig Fleischer on the pulse of the region: an economic update on Jan. 17. To register, contact Barbara Barone at bbarone@uwindsor.ca or 519-971-3678.

Walkable communities = longer lives

City Dwellers Live Longer, Save More by Driving Less

New York City, long seen as a mecca of hedonism and self-destructive indulgence, has witnessed a startling transformation over the past few years: life expectancy has increased dramatically to 78.6 years, nine months longer than the life expectancy in the rest of the US. Even more surprisingly, New York City's life expectancy is increasing at a faster rate than in other parts of the country; in 2004 alone, New Yorkers gained five months of life on average, far outpacing the national average increase of a month or two a year.

What accounts for this longevity?


Find out at the WorldChanging website...

SPRAWL ALERT!

SPRAWL ALERT! Jenny Coco is on the loose again! Note in the article that "Windsor’s Environmental Planning Committee approved the plan". I am assuming the author was talking about the Windsor Essex County Environment Committee (WECEC). Talk about the masters of Smart Growth!

This from the September Biz X magazine;

Windsor City Council will soon consider a controversial rezoning application from Jenny Coco for a major big box complex on the far west side, next to her Ambassador Golf Course. The shopping centre, reportedly equivalent to Birch Run in Frankenmuth, MI, would include 400,000 square feet of big box retail, including two 100,000 square foot buildings. The project is slated for 47.5 acres of land at the corner of Sprucewood and Matchette. LaSalle Council has stated its opposition on the grounds that it will compete adversely with its Malden Town Centre retail outlets. Windsor’s Environmental Planning Committee approved the plan on conditions that a buffer is provided to protect the nearby Prairie Grass Reserve and that parking lots are constructed with permeable surfaces. The city’s nine business improvement areas have yet to weigh in on the impact to core retail districts.

A civic connection for local kids?

Does it actually work if you just try talking with kids? We found this post on Springwise and thought Windsorites may be interested in learning how other communities are dealing with their "kid" problems.

There are plenty of government-run websites aimed at collecting feedback and generating involvement among residents of a particular city or town, but we hadn’t seen many aimed directly at local youth until we came across Derby KidzTalk. Operated by Derby Homes, a non-profit property management organization established by the Derby City Council, the site is geared toward kids between 9 and 16 living in Derby (just west of Nottingham, UK), offering them local information and ways to express concerns and get involved.

The site was originally motivated by a government requirement that Derby Homes involve users in the development of its services. "We are expected to include everyone—young and old, representing the broad spectrum of ethnicity—and this site helps us talk to young people who don't really like coming to formal meetings that adults feel more comfortable with," explains Mark Crown, tenant involvement manager for Derby Homes.

But Derby KidzTalk quickly took off beyond Derby Homes' expectations, reaching 80 registered users and 3,000 hits per month soon after its launch earlier this year. "KidzTalk is bigger than we anticipated for what was a step in the dark," Crown explains. The company is now scrambling to create a marketing plan and approaching other social landlords about the possibility of sharing and co-funding the site. It's also considering selling the format to other organizations.

Our advice? Add 2.0 functionalities as featured in our posts on

Love Lewisham, Amsterdam’s Google Maps mashup and Neighbourhood Fix-It. Take a playful approach to civic awareness by creating scavenger hunts with an online component: find a broken streetlight, report a pothole, etc.

Interpreting the signs - The Livability/Equity Index (part 3 of 4)

This is part 3 of 4, dissecting the results of the Pembina Institutes latest publication and how it relates specifically to Windsor (Part 1, Part 2)

The second dimension of community sustainability is composed of social aspects, such as livability and equity. Livability refers to the features of a community that attract residents to it and that make it a pleasant, safe and healthy place to be. Livability is also increasingly linked to the economic health of the community in that corporate leaders want to locate in urban areas with a high quality of life, both for themselves and to attract the right kinds of employees.

Livability is enhanced by a strong sense of place, a dynamic ommunity , and an attractive environment that lends itself to active recreation and socializing. A livable community is one in which opportunities for healthy social and personal actvities are maximized and stresses, such as crime and disease, are minimized.

Equity refers to the fairness with which social resources such as housing and income are distribute in a community. An equitable community is one in which all types of people - all ages, income levels and ethnic groups - feel comfortabel, enjoy the necessities of life and have the resources and freedom to participate fully in community life. A socially equitable community is one that is more likely to enjoy social peace and a stronger sense of community, and to suffer less alienation among specific are, income or ethnic groups.

And here is where windsor ranks in comparison to the 27 other communities in the study.

1/ Income inequality (An indicator of the degree of income inequality in Windsor)
Windsor's Ranking - 11 out of 27. Fair, considering the sheer quantity of high-income automotive factory jobs we have in this city. There is, however, a noticable divide between these "auto-lotto" winners and the low-paying service industry that services the community.

2/ Dwelling Diversity (A measure of the balance among different housing types and the range of housing options that will be available for a variety of individuals and families. A diversity of dwelling types within a community may reduce the need for ling-distance commuting)
Windsor's Ranking - 17 out of 27. Below average. Windsor has it's sprawling McMansions and it's inner-city neighbourhoods, but not much in between. There has been a movement as of late to build new medium-density residential developments, but not enough to make a difference.

3/ Affordable Housing 1: owners (A measure of housing affordability among home owners. Reflects social inclusiveness)
Windsor's Ranking - 10 out of 27. Good, though I thought we'd do better. Windsor has many undervalued neighbourhoods that most people could afford to purchase in.

4/ Affordable Housing 2: tenants (A measure of housing affordability among tenants. Reflects social inclusiveness)
Windsor's Ranking - 11 out of 27. Good. Reflects Windsor's lower property values and those savings are being passed along to renters.

5/ Heritage Homes (A proxy for the number of potential heritage houses and sense of place that a community posesses. Heritage buildings provide a sense of place and community identity as well as contribute to a pleasant pedestrian environment)
Windsor's Ranking - 4 out of 27. Excellent. However, I think the term "potential" is the buzz word in this indicator. Windsor is an historically significant area and our housing stock reflects that. If only WACAC (Windsor Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee) could get some incentives in place that would help us preserve these buildings.

6/ Community Centres (Community Centres provide recreational facilities, social gathering places, and opportunities to participate in community affairs)
Windsor's Ranking - 11 out of 27. Passable, but I don't know where they got this number. In the number of neighbourhoods I've lived I've never had a community centre nearby.

7/ Parks and Recreational Areas (Green space within a community provides ready access to recreational opportunities and a pleasant, low-stress environment)
Windsor's Ranking - 26 out of 27. Unbearably Poor. As much as this city touts it's riverfront, it neglects any other parkland and greenspace. Maybe we're just saving urban parks for the school board to build new facilities on.

8/ Physical Activity (Reflects the availability of opportunities for physical activity (walkable streets, recreational areas, green spaces)
Windsor's Ranking - 20 out of 27. Terrible, but considering we don't invest in greenspace and our neighbourhoods aren't exactly "walkable" there is tremendous room for improvement in this category.

9/ People Obese and Overweight (Reflects opportunities for physical exercise and general helath of the population)
Windsor's Ranking - 16 out of 27. Poor. Our city has been physically laid out to acoomplish this though. We need to get out of our cars and use those things dangling at the end of our legs more. See our scores for greenspace and physical activity.

10/ Crime Rate (Measure of social stress. Could also influence sense of social cohesion, and perceived safety of streets)
Windsor's Ranking - 22 out of 27. Horrible, but surprised the hell out of me. I know we can attribute a lot of our crime to our north-of-the-border weekend visitors, but for the most part, I feel pretty safe in Windsor

11/ Vehicle Crashes (Measure of social stress and car dependancy)
Windsor's Ranking - 18 out of 27. Poor, but our city planners have made a driver's licence all but mandatory. Kids can hurtle 3500 lb of steel down the road before they can vote. I bet these statistics were fairly close amongst all 27 regions, as this is a disease most of North America is suffering from.

It's fairly clear how these indicators add up to a poor showing for Windsor in the Livability/Equity Index subsection. It's also very easy to see how the indicators add up to our very poor ranking of 22 out of 27. How in the world are we going to attract investment and the people necessary to haul Windsor out of the dustbin if we continue to be happy with results like these?

Our next, and final installment will be the Economic Vitality Index, where we will see just how important a healthy, LOCAL economy is to the sustainability of Windsor

Where the sidewalk ends

Why, when the City of Windsor decides to do something that might be considered sustainable, does it fail to go the distance? A case in point is the proposed Pedestrian Generator Sidewalk Policy which is due to come before council on 10 September. (Click on the picture at left to get to the policy!)

First, let me be absolutely clear that I support the separation of sidewalk creation from the local improvement policies, especially if it means that capital funds (you know the big pot of money, of which 80% is ear-marked for roads in Windsor) are to be allocated to build them. I also applaud the expansion of the policy to include multiple pedestrian generators including, but not limited to, schools, parks and shopping destinations.

While sidewalk access isn't necessarily a problem in the old parts of Windsor, anything built since the mid 1950's has been hit or miss with sidewalks and anything built in the past quarter century is almost guaranteed to have no sidewalk access. I can only assume that, in order to keep housing costs down, builders, without requirements by the city for sidewalks, abandoned sidewalks to increase profits and housing density. According to the Local Improvement policies, established in 1968, property owners who desire to have a sidewalk installed can petition the city that will then require a 66% affirmative response from impacted homeowners. Of course, asking your neighbours to fork over a couple of thousand dollars, give up 5-6 feet of frontage, and put up with the associated construction mess and landscape carnage is, well, akin to asking to kiss your neighbours wife.

If the new policy is so positive, pushing the accessibility to capital funded sidewalks to so many more areas of the city, why do I have my panties in a twist? One word: ambiguity and cost-sharing. Ok, three words.

On the surface, the plan seems to be a real winner (and I think that the intentions of the writer, Andrew Dowie, are good) but there are some blatant loopholes that could, and will, be used to stall the implementation of the sidewalks if they are not tightened up prior to passing council.

First, section 3.2 of the proposed policy states that:

"Where appropriate, benefiting organizations (excluding School Boards) may be asked to contribute a portion of the cost of the sidewalk"

Unless I missed something, that basically means that, although the policy is opening up access to a multitude of pedestrian generators, the city can (and trust me, they will!) ask any non-education beneficiaries to pony up the cash before the sidewalk goes in. That sure seems like a re-worded Local Improvement policy, now doesn't it?

The second, and this is where the ambiguity comes in, failure can be found in section 5 of policy states:

5.1 The City Engineer must determine the existence of the following conditions as outlined in the associated procedure prior to recommending sidewalk construction:

5.1.1 Acceptable pedestrian generator in vicinity of proposed sidewalk;

How close does the pedestrian generator actually need to be? Does it need to abut the sidewalk, or can the sidewalk simply increase the safe accessibility to the generator?

5.1.2 Sufficient pedestrian volumes from above pedestrian generator;

What is a "sufficient ... volume"? In fact, I would say that this policy is important to Windsor because we don't have sufficient pedestrian volumes. Requiring pedestrian volumes at a certain level (not defined, --- there's that ambiguity again) to build infrastructure to increase pedestrian volume it really the old adage of "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"

5.1.3 Lack of acceptable pedestrian/vehicle segregation;

I love this one -- in my opinion any place pedestrians are, cars should not be. I'm not sure that is what the city intended, as that would encompass every square inch of this city, but I can dream, can't I? What constitutes "acceptable -- segregation"? Do sidewalks require a boulevard or do sidewalks that terminate at the curb meet the criteria?

5.1.4 Heightened motorized traffic volumes.

Heightened motorized traffic volumes? Isn't that, again, everywhere? This is a huge loophole, and deterrent to implementation. Mark my words, that first time a request is made to use capital funds to build a sidewalk, the city will require an exhaustive transportation study to determine if "heightened traffic volumes" exist. I am sure that, for non-education requests, this will simply be passed down as an additional line item on the cost of the sidewalk implementation.

5.2 The City Engineer must ensure that the proposed sidewalk will satisfy all of the following requirements:

5.2.1 Provision of dedicated pedestrian facilities;

Huh? Ok, I think that I am a pretty smart guy, at least compared to my four-year old, but if that line actually means something to someone, please clue me in.

5.2.2 General neighbourhood need;

Isn't the argument that every neighbourhood needs sidewalks? Heck, I would go as far as to say that every neighbourhood should have sidewalks and front porches, but then I'm a little bit of a socialist sometimes!

5.2.3 Connection to other pedestrian facilities;

Again with the 'A'-word -- how close do these facilities need to be? It can be argued that everything connects to everything else, but somehow I don't think that this was the intention of this catch all requirement.

5.2.4 Other factors of benefit to pedestrian travel.

As I am sure that I have already proven here, you can write a book, and then some, on the benefits of pedestrian travel. What factors are they looking for that haven't already been established? The cost savings are monumental when you incorporate infrastructure wear and tear, environmental benefits, health benefits and overall standard of living (which directly translate into higher property values). If you doubt that last one, check out any of the cities on the top 10 list of most livable cities in the world and then try and find a three-bedroom house for the going rate in Windsor. I tried Vancouver and both Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. Vancouver started at about $430,000 -- the Aussies got off lucky in the high 200's -- but in Australian dollars.

The long and, well, there is no short of it, is this -- Windsor needs to embrace walkable living to change the image of the city to stave off unemployment and extinction. The Pedestrian Generator Sidewalk Policy does a great job of opening the topic up for discussion, but leaves too many loopholes that could be exploited both for the benefit and detriment of the citizens of Windsor. The Public Works people need to strengthen and firm up the language of this policy to make its' true intent known and its' implementation a reality.

New downtown BK before council - with a drive thru!?!

Next Monday, council will be deliberating whether or not to accept the cities Planning Advisory Committee's (PAC's) recommendation to allow Burger King to construct it's new restaurant (which will replace it's existing restaurant on the N/E corner of Wyandotte and Goyeau, in anticipation of expropriation for an enlarged tunnel plaza) where the old Top Hat Supper club used to sit. In it's plans for the site is a drive through. I don't know whether you agree or not, but there is a movement gaining strength that limits/bans drive thus being built within city limits throughout North America and Europe. And seeing how this is a downtown location, a drive thru is probably not in the best interest of a downtown on the verge of renewal. Cars and pedestrians mix as well as oil and water.

Now, I have no objections to Burger King opening up a new restaurant downtown. If you chose to eat this junk, that's purely up to you. I do have a problem, however, with the fact that these current plans include a drive thru.

PAC has lost any credibility with this file as it approved the previous plans, which then got shot down by council for aesthetic reasons. Then BK tried to make the restaurant prettier and more fitting to it's downtown location and they approved it again. Is there anything they won't allow in our downtown?

Phone your councilor, or get listed as a delegate (because there IS still time, much to the chagrin of my calendar-challenged mind!) and let them know that this is not the direction you believe the city should go. Here's the notice posted on the City Of Windsor website.

Council Agenda for the Monday September 10, 2007 Windsor City Council Meeting 3rd floor, Council Chambers, Windsor City Hall

PLANNING ADVISORY COMMITTEE
PAC 1 Burger King Restaurant, rezoning, southwest corner of University Avenue East and Goyeau Street, construct a Burger King Restaurant with a drive-through window on the site (proposed elevations)

Interpreting the signs - The Smart Growth Index (part 2 of 4)

Yesterday, we read about the Pembina Institute's latest report featuring our fair city, the Ontario Community Sustainability Report - 2007, and read the general conclusions the institute came to regarding the 27 municipalities covered in the paper. Today, we are going to look at Windsor's Smart Growth numbers and what they mean to us here on the front lines.

This study provides a snapshot of the sustainability of selected communities across Ontario in recent years, and employs 33 indicators in three broad categories: Smart Growth, Liveability and Economic Vitality. Having an established indicator framework to monitor and evaluate the changes happening can only advance our understanding of the modifications being implemented across the province and provide feedback on the successes or failures these changes are responsible for. You need to know where you stand before heading off in any one particular direction. So, let's see where Windsor stands, shall we...

For the purpose of this study, Windsor is rated as a medium population municipality (216,473 in '06) experiencing medium population growth (+ 3.87% from '01 - '06). Other municipalities/regions covered in this study experienced population growth ranging from 0.11% (Thunder Bay) to 23.84% (Barrie).

Environmental Sustainability
The Smart Growth Index

In Pembina's choice of indicators for the physical environment, they have chosen to focus on urban form, i.e., the physical design of the city. Urban form includes features such as density of settlement, the mix of land uses, and the characteristics of the transportation system. These are the issues that determine tin large part the environmental sustainability of urban areas. There are 11 indicators being utilized in this section.

1/ Population Density (reflects the efficiency with which land is used in Windsor)
Windsor's Ranking - 9 out of 27. Fair, but probably reflects just how poorly everyone else is because Windsor has a low concentration of mid-to-high density neighbourhoods and numerous sprawling suburbs

2/ Land Use Mix (Mixed land uses help reduce motorized transport and encourage walking and biking)
Windsor's Ranking -5 out of 27. Good. Windsor doesn't have to tear down and rebuild neighbourhoods to increase our land use mix. Also shows better-than-average zoning by-laws.

3/ Urban Intensification (Reflects the degree to which new growth is being accomodated in the already urbanized area versus greenfield development)
Windsor's Ranking -11 out of 27. Fair, but gives a warning about continuing our "build out" mentality.

4/ Length Of Roads Per 1,000 People (Provides a measure of the efficiency of the road network. Sprawled communities tend to require more road surface per capita)
Windsor's Ranking - 5 out of 27. Good, but probably attributable to our geographical circumstance of being "walled-in" by the Detroit River and Lakes.

5/ Street Connectivity (Street connectivity allows easier navigation and access to pedestrians, cyclists and transit vehicles. Lower connectivity means more dead-ends and T-intersections)
Windsor's Ranking -1 out of 27. WOW! I didn't see that rank coming! Let's continue our grid patterns the way we've established them. Cutting down on one-way traffic would also increase our local downtown mobility.

6/ Commuting Distance (A measure of the distances between housing and jobs)
Windsor's Ranking - 15 out of 27. Mediocre, considering our very low Length Of Roads Per 1,000 People ranking of 5. This shows that we still love our suburban raised ranches out in the boonies.

7/ Commuting Modes (One measure of the degree of dependance on the automobile, with many commuters travelling in single occupancy vehicles [SOVs])
Windsor's Ranking - 16 out of 27. Mediocre, but we're the Automotive Capital Of Canada so this doesn't surprise me. Striving to increase our acceptance of alternative forms of transportation will lower this score as we maximize our excellent grid-patterned road network.

8/ Place Of Work (A rough proxy for the job/housing balance in Windsor - i.e., the ability of Windsor to provide sufficient employment base and thereby reduce commuting)
Windsor's Ranking - 8 out of 27. Good. This shows that our ability to utilize our plethora of vacant lands/brownfields will increase our population densities while decreasing our commuting distances. With our average scores in those indicators, this also points out that we are not realizing our potential, though.

9/ Transportation Gap (Spending on roads instead of transit increases car dependency)
Windsor's Ranking - 14 out of 27. Average. Yet this doesn't take into account our poor history of maintaining our infrastructure. Watch this ranking skyrocket in the near future as our roads and sewers reach the breaking point. We must increase our spending on alternative transportation and keep it at a high level regardless of our road infrastructure needs.

10/ Tertiary Water Treatment (Reflects stress being placed on local water bodies from sewage loading)
Windsor's Ranking - 17 out of 27. Mediocre, but also points out that we are geographically challenged seeing how half of Windsor is bordered by water. We are not living up to the committments espoused by our municipal motto "The River And Land sustain Us"

11/ Air Quality (Air quality is a key measure of the healthfulness of the physical environment and reflects to some extent the efficiency of the local transportation system)
Windsor's Ranking - 27 out of 27. It literally doesn't get any worse than this. This number should scare the hell out of every Windsor/Essex county resident.

Windsor's overall Smart Growth Index Score was rated at 52.32, ranking us 12th out of the 27 participating communities. Next installment - The Livability/Equity Index

Signs, signs - everywhere signs (part 1 of 4)

There has been quite a few studies and reports featuring Windsor over the past few years. I don't know if we're exceptional or the poster-child for how NOT to do things. You decide...

In today's Windsor Star, it was reported that Windsor was near the bottom in liveability rankings according to the Pembina Institute. Now, this isn't the first time we've been rated fairly low as a city, but there was that one time when the Mayor bought a lot of advertising in that one magazine and then received glowing...oh, never mind.

This time though, the think-tank that did the ratings doesn't sell advertising, so Windsor was about to be judged on it's own merits. It did pretty bad - I needn't tell you. Over the past few years, the Pembina Institute (whose mission is to advance sustainable energy solutions through innovative research, education, consulting and advocacy) has taken a strong interest in issues related to the environmental, economic and social sustainability of urban communities in Ontario. Their most recent report - the Ontario Community Sustainability Report - 2007, was just released in July of this year. This study employed 33 indicators in three broad categories (smart growth, livability and economic vitality) seeking to inform the debate on community sustainability and smart growth in Ontario as the provincial government continues its major reform of the planning system with ambitious goals to stem sprawl and promote community sustainability throughout the province.

In a nutshell, our continent has adopted a method of building its urban landscapes that encourage sprawling uses of land (whether industrial, residential or retail) which is very difficult to service through public transit, let alone more sustainable methods of mobility such as walking or cycling, because of the shear distances involved. Thus, people living in these communities have to rely on their cars, and governments have to provide a vast network of roads, bridges, overpasses and expressways to make it all work. Paying for this automobile network uses up a large portion of the public money available for investment in the transportation system, further undermining the possibility of an efficient and reliable transportation system. Congestion also undermines the economic health of the city as commuters and cargo spend time in traffic jams and business investors begin to look elsewhere. Declining tax revenues further undermine investment in transit development and social services in the city, and drive more people to the car-dependant suburbs or outlying bedroom communities. These dynamics make urban sprawl a self-reinforcing, vicious circle.

A sustainable urban design makes for a self-reinforcing, more virtuous circle: compact urban form with a fine grain mix of land uses makes for a more efficient and economical transit system. Good transit services encourage people to live near or establish work places on transit routes, which intensify into higher density corridors and urban nodes. Higher density development provides a range of housing opportunities that can, in turn, attract a wide range of employers and employees. Employment opportunities, less traffic congestion, more space dedicated to ecological and recreational uses, good transit and affordable housing are all factors that improve quality of life and attract new residents that - if properly settled - contribute to a healthier economy.

This is what Pembina's report - and common sense - is hoping we understand.

Tomorrow, let's take a closer look at Pembina's report to find out just how Windsor competes in the global competition of quality-of-life and liveability. Most of the factors which will translate into our economic survival.

Investing in regeneration VS subsidizing sprawl

The university requires another 20 million dollars, in addition to the 40 million it just received from the province, to make it's dream of the Centre of Engineering Innovation a reality. As reported in todays Windsor Star, the University still hasn't decided on a location (or locations) for this complex. It would be in the cities best interest to facilitate discussions and negotiations to secure this funding for the University, as long as the University commits to developing the bulk of the Centre downtown.

U of W appeals for $20M
Paul confident corporate partners will support research centre
Wednesday, August 29, 2007

The University of Windsor needs $20 million more from private and public partners to pay for its proposed $110-million engineering school and research centre.
The province announced last week it would give the university $40 million toward its Centre of Engineering Innovation.
The university has already raised $50 million through a bond, which leaves the project $20 million short. University president Ross Paul expressed optimism Tuesday about raising the extra $20 million. This fall, he said, U of W officials will start designing the building, pick a location or locations and attract corporate partners for financial contributions and to be tenants.
"There is a lot of interest" in the engineering centre, Paul said. "We have several corporate people working with us from the biggest to some small innovative ones. Some might just make an investment of equipment or financial aid. "The potential is incredible here."
Administration will report back to the board of governors within the next couple of months with more details. "We haven't asked anyone for a firm commitment," Paul said. "We've gotten letters of interest and support and now we have to deliver on that." Paul wouldn't say how many companies have said they would move into the "manufacturing courtyard" portion of the facility.
It was unclear Tuesday whether the entire centre would be open by the fall of 2009. Paul said the teaching portion might be the first section to open in two years. The university has to recruit corporate partners before embarking on building courtyard wings. "We want to get it right," Paul said. "But we recognize time pressures, obviously." University officials said they haven't eliminated downtown as a potential location for the engineering research centre, but they will choose a space on its appropriateness for the facility. "You don't start with a location, (if it benefits everyone in the community, Ross - yes you do!) you start with what do you need," Paul said. In a meeting closed to the public Tuesday, the university's board of governors gave university management the "green light" to pursue the Centre for Engineering Innovation, said Marty Komsa, the board's chairman. He said the board of governors "asked lots of questions and gave unanimous approval" to the project. "The momentum continues," said Marty Komsa, chairman of the U of W board of governors. "The excitement continues to grow." While the board of governors had already approved and paid for architectural plans for phase one of the engineering complex, the plan has to be redesigned because the entire facility is being done at the same time.
The manufacturing courtyard concept is what sold the province on funding the project, Paul said.
A courtyard is a wing of the new facility dedicated to a project or a corporation where company researchers, professors and students will work together on new research ideas. In its proposal to the province, the U of W said it would be "contacting Canadian and multi-national manufacturing companies ... to solicit the initial set of module occupants and begin developing workplans for the research that will take place in them."

Monica Wolfson, Windsor Star

We must get through to both the city's and the University's leadership that this is the only way to go if the ultimate goal of both administrations is the health and well-being of this community.

Well, if the city won't do it...

...we may as well take the cultural and economic future of our community into our own hands.

Crowdsourcing:
-verb
a neologism for the act of taking a job traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people, in the form of an open call.
(syn: Beta Community)

So, the City of Windsor will probably be busy with the WUC for so long, it will be up to the proactive, grassroots community to start actually looking after this community's creative and cultural legacy. For a hint of what's possible, I introduce you to Beta Communities across the US that are doing just that - taking matters into their own hands. A.K.A. Crowdsourcing...

Here's a rundown on the progress of Beta Communities in cities across the country (with many thanks to Neil Takemoto of Washington, D.C. based Cool Town Studios).

- in Washington DC

A VIBE beta community to crowdsource a progressive new downtown restaurant now has 108 members and counting five months into the process, and it doesn't even have a location yet (somewhere around 14th and U Street) . In the meantime, the beta community has convinced the business owner to grow from 1000 to 3000 s.f.; to go vegetarian, organic, local farm-oriented (except coffee I suppose); green; open kitchen; and offer a full slate of education, community and entertainment programs committed to making an impact, yet having fun at the same time. Read more about in this Washington Business Journal article, and if you live in the Washington DC and feel you should be a part of this, you can join the group here. Better get a passport, as we're looking into a trip to Nicaragua to experience the rustic shade-grown, organic, free-trade coffee culture and economy.

- in Anacostia,

a Building Beta Community has just been initiated to crowdsource a two-story, 14,000 s.f. shell of a building into a green, health-oriented mixed-use building of forward-thinking retail on the ground floor, and residential units above. Anacostia is an economically-challenged neighborhood that is slowly turning the economic corner, but has yet to boast that inspiring destination to get its former creatives to move back. Also, because many of those cultural entrepreneurs have left, we're looking to work with Howard University's most recent alumni about designing this building just for them. The focus here is about growing a strong African-American economy and culture, Anacostia's heritage, and if you'd like to participate, you can join the effort here.

- in Syracuse

Where will the creatives go in Syracuse when places begin to gentrify? That won't be a problem at 200 South Geddes, where developer Rick Destitio is transforming a 5-story historic factory building into a artist-musician live-work center. Not only that, but he's sponsoring a Beta Community that will eventually consist of 500 of the city's most progressive, culturally creative, entrepreneurial and/or passionate people who want to co-design, co-develop, and eventually co-habitate the place. The group of 18 core members are currently narrowing down the name... will it be the Brown-Lipe Gear Building, GearWorks, or the Gear Factory? If you live in Syracuse and want to be a part of it, you can join the effort here.

- in New Orleans

The city is rebuilding. However, just what is it rebuilding into? New Orleans already has a reputation of being one of the most authentic cities in the country, and the next generation of
young urban rebuilding professionals (aka YURP) want to keep it that way, yet raise its quality of life, 24/7 experiences, and knowledge-based economy to rival that of Austin, Silicon Valley and NYC. YURP, 700+ members and counting, is just about to launch a Beta Community to begin identifying key buildings in targeted neighborhoods (The Warehouse District?). Get involved with the base group here.

Keep track of these Beta Communities here.

Think of the possibilities that await those in Windsor with a vision, tenacity and a desire to see Windsor rise out of the ashes. We live on fertile ground, folks.

addendum posted Aug 29 @ 11:17 am

- in Liverpool

In 2008, Liverpool will be showcasing its cultural life as Europe's Capital of Culture. While the city is spending GBP 3 billion on a 'culture led transformation', some believe Liverpool 08 would benefit from a community led alternative. Which prompted Mark Bowness, who previously founded crowdfunded ventures Tribe Wanted and vipbandmanager.com, to start the Liverpool Cultural Cafe. Bowness, a Merseyside native, explains: "After learning about the cultures of Fiji, after bringing employment and investment to that area, I became passionate about doing the same in my home city." His latest project aims to get 25,000 people to pledge a donation of GBP 20. The pooled amount of GBP 500,000 will be used to launch a platform for local talent—musicians, comedians and other artists. A bistro by day and bar by night, the Liverpool Cultural Cafe will be staffed by 12 trainees from low opportunity backgrounds, who will be trained by local businesses. Liverpool Cultural Cafe's 25,000 investors will be able to influence the venture's development through an online community developed for the project.
If the initiative doesn't work out, not much is lost, since investors don't hand over their twenty quid until 24,999 others have agreed to do the same. If it does work, this could be a model for other civic groups to follow to get ventures off the ground without relying on government subsidies. One to watch in 2008!

In praise of preservation

I tuned in to council last night to catch the lively debate (and, oh, was it lively!) on the WUC rate increase and was given a special little gem that wasn't reported in the Star, and likely won't be until the shovel is in the ground or, in this case, not in the ground.

The province gave the Greater Essex-County District School Board a big bag of money to spend on rehabilitating (read: rebuilding) three schools in the city. One of those schools was to be John Campbell Public School on Tecumseh Road on the edge of South Walkerville. For those of you have have never been inside, or even by that outstanding piece of 1920's architecture, you are missing out. Suffice it to say, they just don't build them like that anymore. Trust me, 80 years from now nobody is going to be saying "Wow, that old Talbot Trail school is such an architectual masterpiece, we're sure lucky to have that in our neighbourhood."

The school board had originally proposed razing the school and rebuilding it completely -- a process that has been employed countless times throughout the city and province. With this old beauty, citizens of Windsor, along with the Heritage Preservation Board, swayed the board to work out a masterpiece of a plan where the exterior of the school, along with all the detail, grandeur and history, would be preserved and the interior would be mostly renovated. I say mostly because they have also committed to preserving architectually and historically significant portions of the interior including the current administrative offices, the gym (it'll be completely redone, but will be redone to fit the style and period of the building) and, my favourite, they will be restoring a single classroom to the same way it was in 1927. sure, all of the latest gadgets and luxuries will be added to the classrooms. Wireless internet, facility upgrades, etc etc., but the school will be a fully functional heritage site. Yep, that's right -- the city, schoolboard and heritage committee intend to pursue a heritage designation for this property. That means that once they sink this $10 million into the old girl that they will be on the hook to maintain this living artifact.

I've never been a really big fan of the schoolboard, having a gaggle or so of kids who attend their schools. Last night, for just a moment, I thought that maybe, just maybe, Mary Jean and the gang got it. Hopefully we will see some more inspiration from other municipal and provincial bodies in preserving and accentuating our heritage properties. Most people would say that heritage preservation in Windsor is dead, or at least dying. I would suggest that there are glimmers of hope in an otherwise desolate landscape. If we keep at it, and keep encouraging those who keep at it, we will see the fruits of our labours, and labours of our progenitors, for decades to come.

The University and The Road Less Travelled.

This is just like the scene in that movie - you know the one - where the protagonist is standing at a fork in the road, contemplating which direction they will head. And you just know that this is a make-or-break moment - one way will have a great outcome, and the other way - catastrophe. It's a cheesy metaphore for an up-coming life decision, but appropriate at that.

The decision we are gawking at now here in Windsor is by no means an easy one. Never in my lifetime has an opportunity of this magnitude been on the table, and I've been living through the border crossing debacle (because none of those "options" will really affect anything - we're still going to get stuck with 10,000 trucks a day driving through Windsor, it's been distilled down to a fight over their elevation). This decision will determine whether the City of Windsor changes its economic fortunes and prospers, or continues to wither on the vine.

Back to our protagonists decision. The route on the right is the visibly easier one. This is the road that most of the members of the University of Windsor's Board of Governors will opt to take. Less headaches, land expropriation and permit applications would be necessary in building a prestigious Centre For Engineering Innovation out on a greenfield sie on the periphery of our city. And this is clearly where this route would take us, because if was just up to the University, it is probably the cheapest one. However, the City must play an active role in this decision and take into consideration what the costs would be if the University chose this route. Not only would the city be on the hook for numerous infrastructure upgrades, highway widening and generations of increased vehicular traffic and smog, but it would also be sacrificing an investment in the downtown that could be the difference between revitalization and rigor mortis. Hense, our protagonist is counseled to start thinking about the road less traveled - the one on the left.

This road is a little neglected and overgrown. It seems as though it has been forgotten about for quite some time. Yet, there is beauty down this road. Sure, nature has tried to reclaim it - the asphalt is crumbling and the weeds are poking through - but it still has a certain allure to it. This is the road leading to renovation, urban renewal and adaptation. This is a road that will utilize resources that we have already invested in and paid for. This option would add to the cultural and creative renaissance that downtown Windsor needs.

Simon Fraser University has done it with their Morris J Wosk Centre For Dialogue in downtown Vancouver, and that has led to the revitalization of the Downtown Eastside. George Brown College moved its multidisciplinary performing arts program into downtown Toronto in 2005, accomodating both students and Toronto's Soulpepper Theatre Company. Oil-rich Alberta is getting into the game as well, making a conditional offer to purchase the Hudson's Bay building in Edmonton's downtown.

When the University of Calgary embarked on its so-called “urban campus initiative” two years ago, the institution’s development officials were thinking mainly about building a downtown campus – a standard-issue, bricks-and-mortar cluster based in Calgary’s down-and-out East Village area, not far from the business core. No one anticipated the way the project has evolved, admits Roman Cooney, University of Calgary’s vice-president, external relations. But even before the university and its partners on the project (Athabasca University, Bow Valley College, Chinook Learning Services and the Calgary Board of Education, among others) begin building the $300-million “learning precinct” on city-owned land, students and faculty involved with the urban campus initiative have started connecting with a part of Calgary that has missed out on much of the prosperity of the oil boom. “It came from what students were telling us,” says Mr. Cooney. “They wanted real life experience and to be connected with the community before they graduated.”

Just his past February, The University of Waterloo announced that a satellite of McMaster University's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine will be located on the University of Waterloo Downtown Kitchener Health Sciences Campus. Anchored by the new UW School of Pharmacy, the Health Sciences Campus is the catalyst behind the announcement of a satellite medical school. As University of Waterloo president David Johnstonstated, "This is a day for the history books of Waterloo Region, McMaster University and the University of Waterloo. The synergies are wonderful, with the satellite of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine co-locating with our School of Pharmacy on the Downtown Kitchener Health Sciences Campus. We are so fortunate that the City of Kitchener has been the catalyst in developing the Health Sciences Campus, providing funding of $30 million to the School of Pharmacy, plus a gift of land at King and Victoria Streets."

"UW's goal in all of our health-related activities is to make a difference in the lives of people in this community; not to conduct research in isolation, but to translate our expertise into things that improve the quality of life and the quality of health care for our neighbours, our families, our friends," Johnston added."This is a day for the history books of Waterloo Region, McMaster University and the University of Waterloo. The synergies are wonderful, with the satellite of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine co-locating with our School of Pharmacy on the Downtown Kitchener Health Sciences Campus. We are so fortunate that the City of Kitchener has been the catalyst in developing the Health Sciences Campus, providing funding of $30 million to the School of Pharmacy, plus a gift of land at King and Victoria Streets. UW's goal in all of our health-related activities is to make a difference in the lives of people in this community; not to conduct research in isolation, but to translate our expertise into things that improve the quality of life and the quality of health care for our neighbours, our families, our friends," Johnston added.

These projects are part of a growing trend among Canada’s postsecondary institutions. Universities and colleges are increasingly forging partnerships with municipalities and a wide array of local organizations to create downtown campuses and programs that not only fuel urban redevelopment but also create important social connections between students, faculty and the communities that surround them. Results that the City Of Windsor desperately needs to recognise as being necessary for us to survive this latest economic downturn we are experiencing.

Let's hope that Mayor Francis is successful in thwarting another attempt to subsidize (to the tune of $40,000,000) urban sprawl and keeps these 1,600 - 2,000 engineering students living, working and playing in downtown Windsor. An email or phone call from you wouldn't hurt, either.

Riverside Roundabouts

During the Riverside Drive Vista Improvement Projects public deliberations, there was a woman who got up before council, visibly nervous, and poured her heart out with concern over the cities plans to install traffic roundabouts at specific intersections along riverside Drive. Now, I have experienced roundabouts both as a motorist and a cyclist, and have had no concerns about the saftey of these traffic calming/controlling devices, but she spoke with such emotion that I thought I would look back into this age-old method of controlling those motorised beasts.

I came upon this post from Spacing Wire, a heavily visited Toronto blog, that begs the same question: what kind of experiences have people had with modern day roundabouts?

Modern roundabouts have been popular in Britain since the 1950s and were adopted by other European countries during the 1980s and 1990s. More recently, they’ve been introduced, initially on a trial basis, to the United States and Canada. Those trials have proved so successful, not least in dispelling drivers’ fears of the strange circular junctions - remember when “The Simpsons” visited Britain only to find themselves driving around and around one? - that many more roundabouts are now being built.

“When construction started, there was a quite an outpouring of concern,” said Tom Adriance, highway superintendent of Malta, a town in upstate New York, where five roundabouts were recently completed and another seven are planned. “It was something new, and people were nervous. But as they’ve gotten used to the roundabouts, they’ve realized the benefits. The traffic moves quicker and flows pretty freely; very rarely is there any type of stacking or backup. Who wants to sit at a red light for two or three minutes?”

The success of the modern roundabout’s design is rooted partly in its structure and partly in its ability to modify motorists’ behavior by encouraging them to drive more slowly and considerately. It dates from the early 1900s, when William Phelps Eno designed Columbus Circle in New York as a “gyratory traffic circle” where vehicles drove around a central island. Across the Atlantic, his archrival, Eugène Hénard, was developing a similar idea around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

So, did this woman have any legitimate concerns, or was her reaction purely an emotional one based upon wives-tales and heresay? After a good 25 minutes of web browsing, I couldn't find one empiracle study that concludes that roundabouts are less safe than any of the other forms of traffic control devices that we are currently utlizing here in North America. There were some concerns regarding multi-lane roundabouts, but the proposal for Riverside Drive is only for one lane in each direction. These conclusions were echoed in the region of Waterloo:

Why do roundabouts have such a good safety record?

1. Fewer Conflicts. Roundabouts have fewer conflict points compared to conventional intersections. Roundabouts eliminate the potential for hazardous conflicts such as right-angle and left-turn head-on crashes. Roundabouts with single-lane approaches are safer than those with multilane approaches because of fewer potential conflicts between road users, and because pedestrian crossing distances are shorter.

2. Slower and more consistent speeds. Lower speeds in roundabouts allow drivers more time to react to potential conflicts, helping to make roundabouts safer. Most motorists travel at about the same speed through a roundabout, and that helps to reduce the crash severity compared to conventional intersections that mix slow and fast traffic.

3. Pedestrians cross one direction of traffic at a time. Pedestrians need only cross one direction of traffic at a time at each approach as they walk around a roundabout, compared with two-way traffic at most conventional intersections. There are just as many potential conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians at a roundabout compared to a conventional intersection, but at a roundabout the traffic all comes from the same direction where at a conventional intersection the pedestrian has to watch for traffic from all directions. In addition, motorists travel slower entering and exiting a roundabout compared to a conventional intersection. As with other road crossings where the pedestrian has to watch for a gap in traffic, roundabouts still present visually-impaired pedestrians with unique challenges.

So, I say that anything we can do to bring motorists and their 3,500 pounds of hurtling steel under control should generally be looked upon favourably.

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.

What cars do to cities.

In the previous post "Save Our Scenic Drive", we pointed out the transformation happening with Wyandotte road in the name of moving more cars. Todays post is taken from a blog entitled "Naparstek", and further illustrates how our urban environment is being altered to make room for the personal automobile.

Aaron Naparstek: "The two photos above were part of a presentation I did on Wednesday, November 16 for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council's monthly brown bag lunch seminar." In the first photo, New York City's Park Avenue was once... a park! This photo is looking north on Park Avenue at about 50th Street some time before 1922. The photo next to it is Park Avenue post-1922 after "improvements" to accomodate motor vehicle traffic. You might say that these two photos tell the story of 20th century New York City public space about as eloquently as it can be told. In my presentation I argued that New York City's current surface transportation system is broken, dysfunctional and in increasingly urgent need of repair. Then I offered five ideas that could go along way towards fixing it:

- Better Bike infrastructure
- Traffic-calming
- Pedestrian & public space improvements
- Bus rapid transit
- Congestion charging"

So, you see, there are many lessons to be learned all over the place about how to treat your urban spaces. Looking at the list the author provides that could "fix" our broken, dysfunctional transportation system, how do you feel Windsor is doing? We have talked about and started some policy initiatives that address some of these issues, but that's about it. We must fight for bike lanes. There has been a traffic-calming policy passed, but is it being implemented? The other three just aren't worth discussing as Windsor has been starving these unwanted children in a closet under the stairs for generations.

Unfortunately, Windsor seems to think they're something "special" and are somehow beyond learning from the experiences of others.

Save Our Scenic Drive

Is it my imagination, or is Wyandotte THE most popular street in Windsor these days?

Everywhere you turn, you read about some section of Wyandotte being dug up, expanded, rearranged, extended and generally being toyed with. The eastern-most end of the street is now snaking its way out into the suburban nether-regions, reaching the land of the suburbanites who tend to flee the core area. Expensive bridges are being built to accommodate their commute and the infrastructure costs are spiraling out of control. All this is happening while the crumbling water mains and sewers in the older neighbourhoods are being neglected to the point of failure.

Wyandotte is like the multiple-personality afflicted character Cybill, displaying all kinds of different personalities depending on when and where you explore.

Heading west from this suburban personality of Wyandotte, you find the street widening out into 4/5 lanes of asphalt wasteland. Continuous road upgrades live here. The only people negotiating this stretch of Wyandotte on foot are those unlucky souls whos cars have broken down. No pedestrian life exists here. A glimpse of the entire street's future, perhaps?

Further west, you begin to approach the older parts of this street. The section running through the area that used to be the outlying industrial area of Walkerville prior to Windsor’s annexation of it and Riverside. This is where the Ford Motor Companies and Hiram Walkers of the area set up shop and needed rail infrastructure to carry on with its business. They financed tunnels and bridges, rail connections to ship their goods and links to the river to load their merchandise onto barges. It’s a fascinating area with bridges and buildings dating back to the 20’s and 30’s. Unfortunately it is also considered a bottle-neck for the efficient movement of motorists, and we all know where in the hierarchy historic conservation lies in comparison to “growth”. So, it is this area that is receiving a ton of attention (and tax dollars) from our cities Department of Public Works who is tearing down one old bridge (built by hand in 1931 by the Town of Walkerville) and rehabilitating the other one in the hopes that motorists will begin to chose this street to move through the city as opposed to Riverside Drive, which currently acts as an east-west mini-expressway.

Here’s a chance for me to allay some of my guilt. For years, a group of alternative transportation activists have been lobbying our municipal leaders to include bicycle lanes on Riverside Drive, myself included. We have been fighting for cyclists and pedestrians rights to be included in our local transportation planning priorities, and this was a great way to launch a high-profile battle against the well-heeled residents who didn’t want anything to do with these “Cyclists”. Well, the result of this lobbying was the passing of the Riverside Drive Vista Improvement Project, whose unfortunate by-product was the shifting of motorist capacity over to Wyandotte, which the city has stated has “excess capacity” (if this is true, then why do they have to tear a lot of it up and add vehicular lanes?) I feel like Wyandotte has been sacrificed for a pleasant motoring experience on Riverside Drive’s “Scenic Drive”.

From Page 8 of the the City Of Windsor's Riverside Drive Vista Improvements Projects class environmental study, completed December '06:

"4/ Traffic Diversion ...The third and most important element of traffic diversion is to provide Wyandotte Street east with the capacity and operational characteristics to attract and accommodate through traffic diverted from Riverside at an acceptable level-of service.This will be accomplished by implementing the East Riverside Secondary Plan recommendation to extend Wyandotte Street and McHugh Street east, by enhancing the capacity of Wyandotte Street East with potential peak period on-street parking restrictions and by reviewing the warrants and timing of traffic signals on Wyandotte Street east."

So, at this point we've torn down an historic structure, levelled out the trench and widened it to accomodate the vehicular flow (except the cyclists - they don't get any bike lanes here). This brings us to the intersection of Walker and Wyandotte, which through 2001's Walker Road Corridor Class Environmental Assessment process, was determined needed infrastructure improvements and an increase in capacity. According to a city official, "(b)asically the future design is for Wyandotte to be 5 lanes (2 lanes in each direction plus a common turning lane) from Monmouth to St. Luke and left turn lane installed on Walker at Wyandotte. The next couple of years have been budgeted for design and land acquisition."

So, in a nutshell, you will have 5 lanes of traffic from the eastern most urban sprawl funneling into Olde Walkerville - which the city has "branded" The Distillery District" - which has only two lanes of traffic. The city will then, according to the RDVIP, begin to remove on-road parking to accomodate the huge flow of suburban commuters who will, by design, be washing out any remaining signs of the walkable community it once was.

Sounds like Smart Growth to me!

UPDATE: Those bronze plaques attached to the Wyandotte Subway have been stolen. Little surprise in this city.