Architecht Praises Walkerville
Anne Jarvis, Windsor StarPublished: Friday, January 19, 2007
Anne Jarvis, Windsor StarPublished: Friday, January 19, 2007
Windsor's Old Walkerville is "what every community and neighbourhood should be," Avi Friedman, the internationally acclaimed architect and proponent of livable and sustainable communities, said Thursday after touring the historic neighbourhood.
The founder and director of the Affordable Homes Program at the McGill School of Architecture who was named one of the 10 people "most likely to change the way we live" by the design magazine Wallpaper cited Old Walkerville's beautiful brick homes, the absence of garages in front of the houses, the small scale of the streetscape, Willistead Park and the commercial area on Ottawa Street.
"It has many of the elements that make a neighbourhood livable," said Friedman, who was in Windsor to address the annual meeting of Habitat for Humanity. "It seems that it's a place designed for people. It's an example to emulate."
Friedman also noted Ford City, saying that although its homes are modest, the neighbourhood has distinction, even flair, and above all a soul seen in its narrow streets and mature trees. He praised plans by Habitat for Humanity to build in the community around St. Luke Road and Seminole Street. The organization has six lots and an option to buy six more, said executive director Derek Smith. It plans to build this year and hopes the construction will be a catalyst for revitalizing the area.
Introducing new housing is a proven formula for regenerating communities, agreed Friedman.
As for Southwood Lakes, one of Windsor's premier subdivisions, "this is not a place I desire to spend the rest of my life," Friedman said, citing the large homes, attached garages and lack of sidewalks on some streets. Southwood Lakes is designed for cars, not people, he said.
People don't understand the relationship between the design of houses and communities and social change, Friedman said. Big houses with big bedrooms and a television and computer in every bedroom discourage families from spending time together. Subdivisions in which residents must depend on cars to get everywhere result in people becoming less involved in their neighbourhoods. Retail centres with big box stores drain business from small commercial areas in neighbourhoods.
Friedman said he hopes Windsor will have more neighbourhoods like Walkerville in the future. But, he said, he knows people want separate subdivisions with big houses and attached garages, and it will take a lot of political will to change.
Windsor can become a model of how cities can reinvent themselves, he said. But the city must think outside the box, proceed with sustainable development and understand that it won't be easy or quick.
FOUR PILLARS
Architect Avi Friedman said there are four pillars to a successful community: a secure economic future, a social makeup that includes educated citizens who can contribute to the community and young people for its future, a protected natural environment and a local culture.
© The Windsor Star 2007
Other links to Avi Friedman:
No comments:
Post a Comment