Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Why Invest In Downtown Amenities?
Imagine Toronto with a Detroit-like centre. Not a pleasant thought but one that is becoming increasingly likely. Why? Our downtown neighbourhood infrastructure was paid for long ago, yet, because of amalgamation and expansion, our tax dollars go to pay for infrastructure and amenities in North York and beyond (remember when Queen's Park said amalgamation would save Toronto money?). Developments there may never be self-sustaining given the much lower density and tax base. So, our tax dollars effectively go into the destruction of some of the best farmland and watersheds in Canada. What does that have to do with urban parks? Sooner or later we will hit a tipping point where the cost of living downtown will no longer be offset by the attraction of our urban amenities. Urban parks like Withrow are a key reason why people choose to live in downtown communities. If the City stops investing in them it will be one more reason to move out of the core. When that trend begins it will not take long for Toronto's centre to decay. Property values will drop. To the people who say we cannot afford to improve our urban parks, remember, the alternative is far more expensive.
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Posted by Editor on 03/30
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Monday, March 29, 2004
End Of The Affair?
Yesterday, more than one-hundred Riverdale residents turned out for the initial public meeting of W.I.N., the Withrow Improvement Network. Toronto Architects James Brown and Kim Storey started the meeting with a brief history of why Toronto parks look the way they do, followed with samples of urban parks from Canada, the U.S., and Europe. Brown and Storey's talk gave context to a spirited community discussion on possible alternatives for Withrow Park. Many people who attended expressed interest in joining W.I.N.. Congratulations to Joe Murray, Rob Roberts, and Sarah Bonsall for their work in organizing yesterday's very positive and successful meeting. W.I.N.'s web site,
www.withrowpark.org will have more information about the meeting and about how people can get involved with the Network.
What about this site? The Park Affair is retiring, in a way. Rather than being a Withrow specific discussion site,
http://www.theparkaffair.com will focus on providing a forum for information on urban parks in general with an emphasis on non-traditional uses like leash free areas, etc. Thanks to the many people who got involved and who contributed to The Park Affair. Your comments helped all of us overcome the effects of a pathetic criminal act and allowed for a better understanding of the multiple voices that give shape to our community.
Robert Ouellette
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Posted by Editor on 03/29
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Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Victoria, B.C.'s Solution
thanks
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Posted by Editor on 03/24
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Tuesday, March 23, 2004
More Dog Poisonings?
Can anyone confirm the rumours we have heard that two dogs became sick after eating some foreign material while at TrinityÒBellwoods park?
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Posted by Editor on 03/23
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Monday, March 22, 2004
W.I.N.
nice site!!!
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Posted by Editor on 03/22
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Friday, March 19, 2004
What Makes A Park Successful?
"Don't Pave Paradise" let us know what he or she did not want Withrow Park to be like. The comment raises a good question. What makes an urban park successful? There are no perfect answers to this question. What do you think? What amenities, designs, or features come together to make a great neighbourhood park?
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Posted by Editor on 03/19
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Thursday, March 18, 2004
Community Comments . . .
Yesterday, Casey Conklin offered this thoughtful comment:
As it seems increasingly unlikely that the person who put poison down in the park will be caught, the fact is we may never know what motivated them to do that. It is easy, and natural I suppose to assume that this was someone with a grudge against dogs - but there is no proof of that. In fact, it is now understood that in most cases of animal cruelty - and surely this crime qualifies - the act has very little, if anything, do to with the animal(s) targeted. It has much more to do with the person's own psychological problems and needs. For example, a desire to garner a great deal of attention - even if it's all negative - can be a huge motivating factor. The dogs may have simply provided an easily accessible platform. We just don't know.
Therefore, I don't think we should jump to the conclusion that the poisoning of Withrow Park was meant as a commentary on the situation around a few errant dog owners. Let's remember that the majority of dog owners visiting Withrow Park are compliant with Leash and Stoop&Scoop by-laws.
Is Withrow park big enough to support an Off Leash Area? Studies suggest it is more than big enough - even for a multi-use, urban park. More importantly, what happens if you take the Off Leash Area away? Will that improve things? Will the dog owners in this neighbourhood simply melt away? I would argue that you would end up with several hundred angry, disenfranchised dog owners that no longer care one wit where or when they walk their dogs - off leash, or otherwise! Will getting rid of the Off Leash Area mean more enforcement from Animal Services? There are many, many parks in Toronto that don't have OLAs - they all get the same relative degree of enforcement attention - which I think we can all agree is pretty thin. It would however mean the end of the Withrow Park Dog Owners' Assoc., as the OLA is that group's reason for being. That would mean the loss of an important, direct line of communication between the dog owners and the rest of our community. Generally, the whole thing would be a big step backward.
Obviously, if providing an Off Leash Area for dogs was the ultimate solution we wouldn't be having this discussion. An OLA in any park is just part of a solution to ensure equitable and safe use of urban park space. Enforcement is another part. Changing attitudes is the final and most challenging part. We haven't really even scratched the surface on that...
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Posted by Editor on 03/18
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Monday, March 15, 2004
More Dogs Everywhere
Riverdale is only one of thousands of communities in North-America that are trying to come up with ways to accommodate growing dog populations. Do an Internet search and you will see that our problems are not unique. As a reference, we have added links (under "Related Links") to dog parks in Vancouver, Denver, and Bloomington as well as to a dogcentric site called "thebark.com." Take a look at them. The Australian study is a comprehensive analysis of this massive societal change. Domestic dogs are now a billion dollar industryÛand growing year by year. Our urban parks were never designed to handle this exploding dog population. Yet, as many of the residents who have contributed to this site note, dog owners represent a significant portion of the tax base in our neighbourhood. Are their needs being responded to or are the concerns of non dog owners? Paula Fletcher's call for participation and suggestions for a functional review of Withrow Park is an important first step. Don't assume though that your needs and the needs of your neighbours will automatically be addressed. Let the City know your ideas on how the park can be improved. Make the fencing of Withrow Park a catalyst for positive change.
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Posted by Editor on 03/15
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Saturday, March 13, 2004
Celebration
Hundreds of kids, adults, and dogs attended the official reopening of Withrow Park last night. Riverdale residents joined with local politicians Paula Fletcher and Marilyn Churley (and wasn't that Jack Layton in the crowd?) to celebrate the launch of a new chapter in the park's ongoing story. Congratulations to the City of Toronto Parks employees who helped with last night's festivities and who worked tirelessly to return the park to our community.
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Posted by Editor on 03/13
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Friday, March 12, 2004
Party Tonight
Please join together with your neighbours to celebrate the re-opening of Withrow Park. Paula Fletcher and Marilyn Churley will be there as will representatives from the City. Let's have some fun and enjoy the park together. The party starts at 6:00 this evening.
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Posted by Editor on 03/12
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Hundreds of kids, adults, and dogs attended the official reopening of Withrow Park last night. Riverdale residents joined with local politicians Paula Fletcher and Marilyn Churley (and wasn't that Jack Layton in the crowd?) to celebrate the launch of a new chapter in the park's ongoing story. Congratulations to the City of Toronto Parks employees who helped with last night's festivities and who worked tirelessly to return the park to our community.