This practise is nothing new.  An older home in an established neighbourhood becomes a candidate for replacement.  Demolition permits are secured and contractors hired.  Immense amounts of time and money are invested in building the new home, only to have the replacement actually harm the community.

The older pre-WWII neighbourhoods that have survived in Windsor have qualities that make them desireable.  Built close to the sidewalk, buffered by the semi-private space where neighbours congregate and built a sense of community (the once-ubiquitous front porch/veranda): these strengths are slowly going the way of the dodo bird.  As the Congress for the New Urbanism has rediscovered, this building form is essential to the connections that make residents love their city.  The ties that have been broken by the raised-ranch home in the suburbs, separated from the commons by the monstrous two-car garage poking its nose out front, are essential in reclaiming the walkable urbanism that scholars believe is our future.

So, how do stop this from happening in our neighbourhoods?  Many communities have implemented Urban Design Guidelines that would force developers to adhere to the elements that are deemed important to the neighbourhood.

We need to investigate this layer of the approval process to strengthen our sense of place in Windsor.

Tags: Design Guidelines, walkerville