ScaleDown Radio, July 22, 2008
Scaledown broke out it’s international correspondents today and put them to work in an effort to get Mayor Eddie Francis, in light of his desire to learn from the experiences of other communities, to see the successes of their new hometowns.
Our East Coast Correspondent Shane Miersch, now living in Cambridge, Massachusetts and spending his time as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Harvard Institute of Proteomics, called Windsor his home for many years and still holds a soft spot for the place. Shane helped us understand what he believes are many of Cambridges assets and how Windsor could learn from the lessons they’ve learned. When asked what one lesson he would pass along to Mayor Francis (BTW, Eddie, Shane has offered his sofa to you if you want to pay a visit) to help him improve Windsor’s quality of life, he quickly stated the need to embrace the city’s heritage and make the most of our historical significance. (P.S. Shane - I did come across one of your dics in CJAM’s CD library. Listen to The Dollies and you will hear Shane’s drum work!)
And then over to our Oceania Correspondent, Mike Beauchamp, who woke up at the ungodly hour of 4:30 AM in Wellington, New Zealand to report back as to the state of the city he now calls home. He was one of those rare guys who wasn’t afraid to try absolutely anything in his pursuit of something new, and it really surprised none of us that he took off to New Zealand (we just thought he would ride his bike there - after inventing something that would pedal across the Pacific!). Mike is working as a web analyst for NZ’s Department of Labour, which is only a 10 minute bike ride from home. He is intimately aware of what makes a good city, and when the question was posed to him about the one piece of advice he would give Mayor Francis, his immediate response was Density!
It was a great and fun-filled show today and I want to send out a big thank you to both Shane and Mike for taking the time in helping their fellow Windsorites understand that there are some shining examples out there that we can learn from. Whereas there will never be a “one-size-fits-all” repair for Windsor’s ills, there’s lots of good people out there who still care about this lil’ ole city of ours.
Lead in tune, as always, was If I Had To Eat You by Ten Indians. Enjoy!
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ScaleDown Radio is broadcast live every Tuesday, from noon until 1:00 on CJAM 91.5 FM, redefining radio in Windsor and Detroit.
Post Feedback
Thanks for the opportunity guys.. there was a lot that I wanted to talk about, but didn’t have the chance to touch on. Admittedly, I was half-asleep still during the interview.
So here are a fewthings from my notes that I might not have got to mention.
About Public Transportation…
- “around 90% of the regions residents within 400 metres (approximately 5 minutes walk) of a bus stop or station.” (http://www.metlink.org.nz/)
- Bus system maps available at many stores, theatres, etc. Maps posted on a lot of stops.. schedules posted on all stops.
- “Metlink txtBUS” allows you to text message your bus stop number, and receive the next 3 departure times.
- Half of the bus trips are on electric trolley buses.
- Innovations coming include real-time information signs at bus stops, giving exact times buses will arive, updated by GPS data. RFID card to pay for bus trips (http://snapper.co.nz/)
- Green cab company operates hybrid cabs and hopes to plant 1 million trees.
Keeping Active…
- City runs http://feelinggreat.co.nz , listing activities to do
- endless KM’s of Walkways, mountain bike paths all mapped out, signed and easily accessable.
- Multi use waterfront trails.. rental of bicycles, etc, etc.
Adaptive Reuse…
- Wellington railway Station (1937): New includes grocery store and administration for Victoria University
- Old Piers: Now apartments
- Old Warehouses: Now Downtown office space
- Old Bank Shopping Arcade (1901): old bankt urned into a shopping arcade with 26 shops and underground foodcourt. (http://www.oldbank.co.nz/)
Pedestrian Friendly…
- Main streets have zebra crossings, pedestrians able to cross without waiting for a light.
- Most buildings/stores have a large overhang that shelters pedestrians on the sidewalk from the elements
- Intersections have covers, so people waiting to cross the street are sheltered.
- Most bus stops have shelters.
- Work places encourage cycling by offering places to lock bicycles and showers for employees to use.
The big thing I notice here is that the city seems to care about the quality of live of the people living here. Being active is very encouraged.. and many people take advantage of all the hiking and biking and public pools and facilities. Everything in the city seems to be designed with people in mind. Even big box stores aren’t that bad here.. a nearby electronics store for example has self contained parking (and only a small amount of spaces), a women’s gym above it, and 3 levels of apartments above that.
Anyways, cheers!
Mike
Density! I have been saying it for years. In fact that was one of the biggest issues that a city that isn’t far from Windsor is trying to tackle because they know it is of key importantance to the survival of all downtowns. That city being….DETROIT!
But Windsor still wants to do business in the ‘ol boys club ways. Is it any wonder that cities are growing larger, becoming more diverse than Windsor? Windsor still looks like it did in the 1960s except there are a lot less heritage properties left.
At least City Planner Thom Hunt has recognized the issue. Let’s hope he can persuade council and the mayor to change the tactics that haven’t worked for 40 years into a new attitude and plan and get Windsor moving forward!
By the way when are those tax initiatives going to kick in to help restart our decaying neighbourhoods? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a few neighbourhoods adjacent to downtown that were filled with victorian homes with well manicured landscapes and thus bring more beauty downtown, more residents and thus more businesses with more TAXES?