This week starts with a bouquet of words tossed across the river by columnist Anne Jarvis of The Windsor Star, who tells urban planners: "Windsor can learn from Detroit."
Detroit is "one of the most intriguing and talked about cities in the United States" and is "the city that seems to be doing everything right," she writes.
Lighting, paving, murals and other upgrades make downtown's Belt alley "a destination for parties, art shows, photo shoots," Anne Jarvis writes.
(Library Street Collective photo via TheBelt.org)
Jarvis, an Ontario native who joined The Star in 1990, lists six things "we can learn from our neighbour." Excerpts:
► Add safe bike lanes: "Detroit is converting lanes for cars into separated, protected bike lanes on Michigan Avenue, East Jefferson, everywhere. . . . We approved wider roads and more bike lanes that aren’t separated or protected. We spend an inordinate amount of time discussing parking [even though] millennials . . . don’t get driver’s licenses and don’t want cars. "
► Preserve 'character and history:' "Across Detroit, old buildings are being renovated, and new buildings are rising in vacant lots. These streets have character and history. People like them. And you don’t have to install new water and sewer pipes and build new roads. . . Instead, we’re looking to develop the land around the airport, on the edge of the city."
► Simple upgrades can have impact: "The Belt is an alley in Detroit paved with cement cobblestone and strung with lights. Public art covers the walls. There are planters and picnic tables. Music plays. Several years ago, you wouldn’t walk in that alley. Now, it’s a destination for parties, art shows, photo shoots. . . . We’ve spent millions on the core. But our downtown alleys are strewn with garbage. You have to maximize your investment."
-- Alan Stamm
