Transform City Blight into Mega Hospital
by Sergio Bertucci M. Arch, LEED AP
by Sergio Bertucci M. Arch, LEED AP
Can
you imagine a city that for no better reasons than short sighted polices of
provincial officials was left to its certain dwindling demise? If we, as
Windsorites do not pull together, the dark and ever expanding cloud of blight
which silently hovers over Windsor will eventually burst, and leave us with no
more than a perpetual shrinking city. It is dilemmas like these which only
serve to exacerbate the continual shrinking city issue that haunts many once
Great North American Cities. The location of the proposed mega hospital which
has been in the news this past year is a topic of much debate. There have been
suggestions that the hospital should be placed outside of the city. One person
went so far as to suggest that the town of Essex be the site, because it is the
geographical center of Essex County. With that reasoning, perhaps all
institutions such as universities and colleges should be moved to Essex as
well. After reading many of the opinions, the educated opinion of Mr. Shane
Mitchell seems to make sense. Mitchell proposes the site of the now mothballed
General Motors Transmission Plant be considered.
Firstly, if we take the time to realize that this decision needs to be analyzed at a comprehensive level, there are many issues to consider. Of these issues, the one of most importance, as Mitchell mentioned, the vast majority of hospital patients are from the Windsor area. This fact is important because public transportation is readily accessible to the GM site. More importantly, there is existing access from a major artery, Walker Rd, and two minute distance from two more major arteries, Wyandotte and Tecumseh. Additionally the proposed GM site is minutes from the EC Row expressway. As city residents and planners, we must strive to include empirical data (that is, information gathered over time) as a basis for the continuing improvement in the design of our cities.
The General Motors Transmission site is a brownfield site, meaning the site was used for a building. In contrast, a greenfield site is a site that has undergone no development or building. One of the proposals is to put the hospital on a greenfield site near the 401. The continual use of greenfield sites will inevitably be a tremendous added burden on the "heat island effect" and storm water management in comparison to a brownfield site. In reference to storm water management, the storm sewers are designed for a certain capacity. Once this capacity is met and further development is proposed -- at a tremendous cost to the tax payers -- storm sewers need to be upgraded or storm water retention ponds have to be implemented. Using a brownfield site would eliminate this issue. The "heat Island effect" is an occurrence where the earth becomes increasingly warm because of the many buildings and hard surface paving needed to service those buildings are exposed to the hot summer sun. Hence, reusing a brownfield site would leave any greenfield site free to absorb much rainwater and offer some protection from the sun from plant growth. Additionally, the development that occurs on a brownfield site subconsciously offers permission and encouragement to the neighboring brownfield properties to grow and develop. Only with such an approach to urban renewal, lies the hope of extensive results without damage to Greenfield sites. Moreover, as responsible designers we are to minimize the building footprint, because land mass is not a renewable resource and more importantly, it is a resource upon which we grow and harvest crops necessary to survival.
As good planners and stewards to our community, we always look for a harmony within the city fabric. Going forward, it is often easier to find a solution to urban decay, if we take a four pronged approach. First, two fundamental architectural principles: mass and space; will the structure fit within the scale of the neighborhood? Second, will it fit within the region's population density and demographics? Third, will it fit within the social and cultural fabric of the area. Finally, fourth, does it make sense economically? The answer to all of these questions, from a speculative point of view, is yes. As such, using the General Motors site would enhance an architectural rhythm within the Walkerville area. Going east from the proposed site across Walker Rd with any new development could work in a similar harmony and balance to the residential neighborhoods which currently exist west of the location. In addition, the commerce and industry along the Walker Rd corridor north and south of the proposed mega hospital could only enhance the location, and help to engender neighborhood recognition, devotion, and pride.
And so, the question remains, if fossil fuels are not renewable, and if we are aware of the effects that burning them has on the air that we breathe and the atmosphere that supports our economy, why would we not be looking at ways to minimize transportation distances for most of the hospital patients? How ironic that an institution which professes to be associated with public health and wellbeing would neglect the health and environmental impacts of building the new hospital at a great distance from the densely populated city.
An honest, scientifically-informed and politically unbiased study needs to be completed with input from citizens, planners, and other important stakeholders. The final plan should be ratified through public consensus, and should be devoid of covert decisions made solely by politicians, investors, and developers.
Firstly, if we take the time to realize that this decision needs to be analyzed at a comprehensive level, there are many issues to consider. Of these issues, the one of most importance, as Mitchell mentioned, the vast majority of hospital patients are from the Windsor area. This fact is important because public transportation is readily accessible to the GM site. More importantly, there is existing access from a major artery, Walker Rd, and two minute distance from two more major arteries, Wyandotte and Tecumseh. Additionally the proposed GM site is minutes from the EC Row expressway. As city residents and planners, we must strive to include empirical data (that is, information gathered over time) as a basis for the continuing improvement in the design of our cities.
The General Motors Transmission site is a brownfield site, meaning the site was used for a building. In contrast, a greenfield site is a site that has undergone no development or building. One of the proposals is to put the hospital on a greenfield site near the 401. The continual use of greenfield sites will inevitably be a tremendous added burden on the "heat island effect" and storm water management in comparison to a brownfield site. In reference to storm water management, the storm sewers are designed for a certain capacity. Once this capacity is met and further development is proposed -- at a tremendous cost to the tax payers -- storm sewers need to be upgraded or storm water retention ponds have to be implemented. Using a brownfield site would eliminate this issue. The "heat Island effect" is an occurrence where the earth becomes increasingly warm because of the many buildings and hard surface paving needed to service those buildings are exposed to the hot summer sun. Hence, reusing a brownfield site would leave any greenfield site free to absorb much rainwater and offer some protection from the sun from plant growth. Additionally, the development that occurs on a brownfield site subconsciously offers permission and encouragement to the neighboring brownfield properties to grow and develop. Only with such an approach to urban renewal, lies the hope of extensive results without damage to Greenfield sites. Moreover, as responsible designers we are to minimize the building footprint, because land mass is not a renewable resource and more importantly, it is a resource upon which we grow and harvest crops necessary to survival.
As good planners and stewards to our community, we always look for a harmony within the city fabric. Going forward, it is often easier to find a solution to urban decay, if we take a four pronged approach. First, two fundamental architectural principles: mass and space; will the structure fit within the scale of the neighborhood? Second, will it fit within the region's population density and demographics? Third, will it fit within the social and cultural fabric of the area. Finally, fourth, does it make sense economically? The answer to all of these questions, from a speculative point of view, is yes. As such, using the General Motors site would enhance an architectural rhythm within the Walkerville area. Going east from the proposed site across Walker Rd with any new development could work in a similar harmony and balance to the residential neighborhoods which currently exist west of the location. In addition, the commerce and industry along the Walker Rd corridor north and south of the proposed mega hospital could only enhance the location, and help to engender neighborhood recognition, devotion, and pride.
And so, the question remains, if fossil fuels are not renewable, and if we are aware of the effects that burning them has on the air that we breathe and the atmosphere that supports our economy, why would we not be looking at ways to minimize transportation distances for most of the hospital patients? How ironic that an institution which professes to be associated with public health and wellbeing would neglect the health and environmental impacts of building the new hospital at a great distance from the densely populated city.
An honest, scientifically-informed and politically unbiased study needs to be completed with input from citizens, planners, and other important stakeholders. The final plan should be ratified through public consensus, and should be devoid of covert decisions made solely by politicians, investors, and developers.
