Editorial
Let’s Jane Jacobs this place and spray paint the town red
Jo Snyder
The race for mayor is leaving the city cold. Maybe the early snowfall is appropriate as our hopes for a brightly lit debate quickly become dreary. The Free Press reported (via a probe research poll) that Katz is hovering around a 70 per cent approval rating, though soft as it may be, it means that Katz will still be our mayor come Oct. 25.
At the few debates Sam Katz bothered to appear at (The University of Winnipeg not included), he talked a lot about his commitment to the young people of this city. In a statement from the Mayor’s office read by Margeaux Watt at the UW event, the Mayor apologized for not coming and reminded us how important we were to him, at which point the packed hall erupted with laughter. He is interested in creating jobs that keep young people in the city, we just don’t know what these jobs are. In an interview with The Uniter he actually admitted that maybe condominiums, like the $250 000 one bedrooms currently being built in Osborne Village, or in the Exchange District, weren’t exactly affordable for everyone who may want to live downtown or in the village. However, there wasn’t really any mention of a firm plan to build some cool, affordable lofts. But, maybe Katz is committed to this demographic, however weak his ideas, but this demographic seems to feel alienated by his paternalistic approach to civic politics. His plan for taking action against graffiti is to prevent people under 18 from buying spray paint. What if they get caught with it? Is he going to send them to their room?
I think there are really only two choices in this election, and unfortunately neither of them will receive their fair share of the vote. Both Cerilli and Hasselriis have progressive views on the environment, including ideas for rapid transit. Hasselriss is arguably the most apt to deal with this last issue given his long involvement with Bus Rapid Transit issues, his concrete connection to our arts community, and his devotion to rejuvenating our dying city centre. Density is arguably the answer to a dying core, not sprawl. In one of the most influential books written on urban planning The Life and Death of Great American Cities, author Jane Jacobs’ advocates large residential blocks within the downtown, mixed-use and mixed-income business and living spaces. These are ideas that come up in the Cerilli and Hasselriss platforms.
Environmentally friendly policy is becoming increasingly important, especially on a civic level. Many of the arguments from academe and environmentalists, including Tim Flannery and David Suzuki, are saying that these changes need to start on the personal level. What better way to encourage that than within civic policy? With all of the newly inspired attention to global warming, evoked by our governments, and Hollywood, and Al Gore, it’s not really a “left-wing” issue anymore and it won’t ever be again.
Another issue of concern is Katz’s willingness and eagerness to use private money for public infrastructure. This may be a way to bail the city out of some financial predicaments from time to time, but what are the long-term implications of having private money pouring our concrete? Cerilli and Hasselriis have been very vocal about retaining public investment and ownership over the city. Often people look at these sorts of agreements with private business as economically responsible, and business oriented. Katz is certainly perceived as the more business savvy of the candidates. However, Hasselriis’ ideas for business improvement are very progressive and they focus on small business and arts oriented business. Winnipeg is more than capable of and ready to sustain these kinds of endeavours. The north main project is a great example, especially in light of the extremely successful opening of The Edge Artist’s Village and Art Gallery last week.
Katz isn’t my favourite candidate and his lead in the polls casts a dark shadow on the potential of this city. If we primarily promote our arts scene with the Guess Who and the MTS centre then we’re in a lot of trouble, culturally speaking. These things aren’t bad at all, but it can’t stop there. If our clamp down on inner city crime consists of more arrests, not necessarily legitimate ones, compstat, and a ban on purchasing spray paint, then we’re in a lot of trouble, legally speaking. But Cerilli and Hasselriis are serious candidates with their sights set on real improvements for this city. It’s almost unfortunate they aren’t squished together into one super candidate that could easily defeat the incumbent Mayor: Casselriili. Maybe? To avoid robbing them of their individuality, each candidate does bring their own flavour of politics to the table, the initial sense of Cerilli firmly focusing on grassroots community interests and ridding city hall of the politics of favouritism, and Hasselriis on these issues, but also a special, and important devotion to the arts.
One of the best things that Cerilli said in the debate at the University of Winnipeg on Oct. 11, was that if Sam Katz is re-elected then we won’t even recognize this city in four years. If she’s right, that is a scary thought. For those of us who actually think Winnipeg is a great place to be --- and it is --- then that’s a serious consequence to face, one that shouldn’t leave us feeling apathetic in the polls on the 25th, in fact quite the opposite.
At the few debates Sam Katz bothered to appear at (The University of Winnipeg not included), he talked a lot about his commitment to the young people of this city. In a statement from the Mayor’s office read by Margeaux Watt at the UW event, the Mayor apologized for not coming and reminded us how important we were to him, at which point the packed hall erupted with laughter. He is interested in creating jobs that keep young people in the city, we just don’t know what these jobs are. In an interview with The Uniter he actually admitted that maybe condominiums, like the $250 000 one bedrooms currently being built in Osborne Village, or in the Exchange District, weren’t exactly affordable for everyone who may want to live downtown or in the village. However, there wasn’t really any mention of a firm plan to build some cool, affordable lofts. But, maybe Katz is committed to this demographic, however weak his ideas, but this demographic seems to feel alienated by his paternalistic approach to civic politics. His plan for taking action against graffiti is to prevent people under 18 from buying spray paint. What if they get caught with it? Is he going to send them to their room?
I think there are really only two choices in this election, and unfortunately neither of them will receive their fair share of the vote. Both Cerilli and Hasselriis have progressive views on the environment, including ideas for rapid transit. Hasselriss is arguably the most apt to deal with this last issue given his long involvement with Bus Rapid Transit issues, his concrete connection to our arts community, and his devotion to rejuvenating our dying city centre. Density is arguably the answer to a dying core, not sprawl. In one of the most influential books written on urban planning The Life and Death of Great American Cities, author Jane Jacobs’ advocates large residential blocks within the downtown, mixed-use and mixed-income business and living spaces. These are ideas that come up in the Cerilli and Hasselriss platforms.
Environmentally friendly policy is becoming increasingly important, especially on a civic level. Many of the arguments from academe and environmentalists, including Tim Flannery and David Suzuki, are saying that these changes need to start on the personal level. What better way to encourage that than within civic policy? With all of the newly inspired attention to global warming, evoked by our governments, and Hollywood, and Al Gore, it’s not really a “left-wing” issue anymore and it won’t ever be again.
Another issue of concern is Katz’s willingness and eagerness to use private money for public infrastructure. This may be a way to bail the city out of some financial predicaments from time to time, but what are the long-term implications of having private money pouring our concrete? Cerilli and Hasselriis have been very vocal about retaining public investment and ownership over the city. Often people look at these sorts of agreements with private business as economically responsible, and business oriented. Katz is certainly perceived as the more business savvy of the candidates. However, Hasselriis’ ideas for business improvement are very progressive and they focus on small business and arts oriented business. Winnipeg is more than capable of and ready to sustain these kinds of endeavours. The north main project is a great example, especially in light of the extremely successful opening of The Edge Artist’s Village and Art Gallery last week.
Katz isn’t my favourite candidate and his lead in the polls casts a dark shadow on the potential of this city. If we primarily promote our arts scene with the Guess Who and the MTS centre then we’re in a lot of trouble, culturally speaking. These things aren’t bad at all, but it can’t stop there. If our clamp down on inner city crime consists of more arrests, not necessarily legitimate ones, compstat, and a ban on purchasing spray paint, then we’re in a lot of trouble, legally speaking. But Cerilli and Hasselriis are serious candidates with their sights set on real improvements for this city. It’s almost unfortunate they aren’t squished together into one super candidate that could easily defeat the incumbent Mayor: Casselriili. Maybe? To avoid robbing them of their individuality, each candidate does bring their own flavour of politics to the table, the initial sense of Cerilli firmly focusing on grassroots community interests and ridding city hall of the politics of favouritism, and Hasselriis on these issues, but also a special, and important devotion to the arts.
One of the best things that Cerilli said in the debate at the University of Winnipeg on Oct. 11, was that if Sam Katz is re-elected then we won’t even recognize this city in four years. If she’s right, that is a scary thought. For those of us who actually think Winnipeg is a great place to be --- and it is --- then that’s a serious consequence to face, one that shouldn’t leave us feeling apathetic in the polls on the 25th, in fact quite the opposite.