Sweet Home Chicago
The mayor isn’t the only one going to chicago for some ideas. I spent this weekend there as well and on Saturday I went to the 40th Annual Sheffield Garden Walk where I learned about the Sheffield Neighborhood Association. I fell in love with Chicago all over again
Even the kids got involved, aside the grade school were 14 plots for the 14 classes who each planted herbs and vegetables. I asked how old the youngest was and I was told that the gradeschool hosted montessori classes and the 3 year olds were in charge of the salsa garden.
The Sheffield Neighborhood Association boasts many committees such as:
- Budget, Communications
- Community Safety, Events
- Garden Walk
- Historic Resources
- Membership
- Neighborhood Relations
- Nominating
- Parks & Beautification
- Planning
- Schools
Grant it, this is a wealthy neighborhood with first floor 1400ft2 apartments retailing for $350,000 and million dollar brownstones. These people really have their act together, the sense of neighborhood pride was overwhelming. It was enough to make you fall in love with Chicago all over again.
Are there any successful neighborhood associations in Windsor? I’ve met those involved in the Friends for Atkinson Park and pool who were responsible for the improvements at atkinson park . Windsorites need to literally clean up their own back yards before they point their finger at local politicians to blame them for quality of life.
I’m just musing here but maybe one of the first steps of the W.E. Can campaign should be to facilitate Windsorites into a series of residential associations. Maybe a sense of pride should start in your home and build outwards. If we can’t pull together as neighbors, how do we pull together as a city
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Chicago is the centre of mid-continent! I have been there many a times in the last seven years, playing music with friends and I always pack some resumes (under NAFTA, librarians are consider part of the professional class designation, not as the city of Windsor Human Resources see us as glorified clerks!). I will go to Chicago first for a weekend than Toronto! The downtown with the Millennium Park and new central library that has no public parking and has generated intensification almost tike the condos going up in Toronto, is wonderful to see and experience!
Maybe when Mayor Daley wants to retire, he can become the mayor of Windsor.
Chris said; “Windsorites need to literally clean up their own back yards before they point their finger at local politicians to blame them for quality of life.”
Boy! Do they! I’ve been traveling through the alleys of Old Windsor and it looks like a third world landfill. Some yards are great but overall the alleys have become a dumping ground from old cars, mattresses and garbage beyond belief! No wonder we have a feral cat and rat problems and some of the downtown alleys can be seen from the main streets by all our daring tourists.
The city of Edmonton might provide a good model for community associations. They have a well entrenched system of community leagues covering the city that maintain recreational facilities, organize sports leagues and lobby on behalf of residents.
http://www.efcl.org/
Yes Mark -
Neighbourhood associations are a form of neighbourhood councils.
But why go to Chicago? Bloggers and residents have been discussing this for quite some time.
Kidding aside - neighbourhood associations work only if council allows them to. Unfortuantely - I don’t see that with this group.
Chris - you dont see that with this council? Has there even been a test case to reference? The only neighbourhood/community assoc. that i can think of is the newly formed downtown residents group. Not sure though if there is any feedback on any matter thus far.
Are there any other community/n’hood asssoc’s in the works??
What about the group that cleaned up Monmouth Street for Art in the Park? Were they an association or do they just do this one event?
Kudo’s to those in Walkerville who take so much pride in their neighborhood.
Maybe its just a matter of taking it to the next level or getting people to realize how much power neighborhood associations weild.
Another association is in the works for the area that is supposed to be the urban village. West River Village is starting down that path due to the newly created Downtown Residents Association. Things are coming together for the DRA as well so stay posted…it is afterall summer and people do go away on vacations. But things are in the works and it will be posted on Scaledown.ca. Stay tuned…