Garden Point; On the Docks Entry

Garden Point

Garden Point, a landmark on the urban and the river bank landscape, is an urban destination that creates opportunity to engage the river summer and winter. Accessed from the Waterfront Drive sidewalk one walks into a new environment of planted forest and garden.  A wood and concrete environment creates a controlled natural setting with a paved walking path to the river. Above the river is the outdoor viewing platform that provides an elevated view of the river. 

The multistory greenhouse provides a plant filled environment in the winter. The interior of the greenhouse provides a winter sanctuary: a refuge for the body and the mind. From this warm vantage point the user can absorb winter sunlight, take in the scenic river view and disengage from the urban landscape. It is a place to sit and be encompassed by warmth and tranquility. 

The wood framework on the concrete pedestals provides a harmonious framework that blends with the forest and the garden landscape. This structure is a gesture of hope in the landscape a beacon of humanity at peace with the natural environment.

Awarded 3rd Place May 25th, 2018

HOW TO INOCULATE AGAINST THE GENTRIFICATION VIRUS

Neighbourhood renewal is essential in the life cycle of any flourishing city. Existing housing stock ultimately needs to be replaced, renovated or renewed. However, if this process isn’t managed carefully it can result in a situation where affordable housing is renewed or replaced with costly new housing that displaces existing residents and homeowners. This process is known as gentrification and once this process starts in a neighbourhood the change is virtually irreversible. New affluent residents can transform a traditional working class area imposing in the neighbourhood a new social identity. As illustrated in my last post the fundamental economic and social conditions are emerging for just such a phenomenon to take hold of Elmwood. If it is labelled as an ‘up and coming’ area in the minds of qualified buyers the gentrification process will be difficult to counteract and can take on a life of its own.

Elmwood can renew, flourish and still maintain the core of its identity. First the community needs to actively increase its density. This increase in density is essential for creating a sustainable city and combating urban sprawl, while increasing a tax base to pay for infrastructure renewal and much needed services. A sustained effort to increase density will result in more supply of housing and a variety of housing types allowing for new development that creates space to meet the needs of existing residents. 

Secondly it is vital that existing property values are maintained relative to other areas of the city. Low property values typically attract absentee landlords or gentrifying developments. Absentee landlords are looking to for a quick return on investment and have little concern for the wellbeing of the neighbourhood. Affluent individuals and developers intent on tearing down and rebuilding a neighbourhood will likely displace Elmwood residents since their primary focus is on their own needs and not necessarily on the needs of the existing community.

They way in which to maintain values and inoculate against gentrification can be mounted on a number of fronts. The City of Winnipeg needs to be vigilant in inspecting absentee landlord properties as well as vacant and boarded up properties. Residential upkeep programs such as RRAP (Residential Repair Assistance Programs) need to be maintained and the expansion of eligible improvements and total costs would be optimal. Community initiatives that support schools, community and recreation programs funded by all levels of government and community organizations support and enable positive public synergies. It goes without saying that policing that is responsive to incidents but also has a presence outside of emergency and criminal activity is crucial to creating a safe and desirable community.

If these objectives can be realized the process of renewal will be more stable and will result in significantly less displacement of the current residents in the community.

Is Elmwood Losing its Community Identity?

John van Leeuwen speaking with Daniel Blaikie - March 13, 2017 at the 

Elmwood Affordable Housing Town Hall. Photo, Metro News, Dyan Martin. 

The Elmwood community has seen a number of its important community symbols under stress. The closure of the Kelvin Community C.C. and the proposed redevelopment of it into a commercial building was defeated by the combined effort of the community and its elected officials at all three levels of government. The historic fire hall on Talbot and the community programming it offered was also in jeopardy after its main tenant Youth for Christ relocated to its new building on Main Street. Providentially Riverwood Church took over the building and redeveloped it so that it includes more accessible social spaces and programming for the diverse needs of the community.  

While the community responded in positive ways to these threats the response has been piecemeal in comparison to the fundamental transformation, both economically and socially,   taking place in the neighbourhood. The thriving housing market in Winnipeg has resulted is many young families looking to Elmwood as an area to find adequate housing they can afford since they are being priced out of other areas. At the same time ‘millennials’ are looking at Elmwood as an attractive area to purchase housing since they want to be within walking distance of downtown jobs and amenities. These forces have driven up the price of housing in the area. 

While this may seem like a good thing for many homeowners in the area the advance in price is only advantageous if they are looking to sell their homes in the near future. For many residents in the community the cost of owning a home has risen drastically as houses become more expensive. This increase in property values has meant sizeable increases in property and school taxes. At the same time the higher prices for commodities and transportation has created a significant rise in the costs of building materials for home renovations while contractor and home renovation services have increased due to high demand and shortage of skilled trades. These costs have to be borne by many residents on fixed incomes or employed in employment that has not seen increases in wages relative to the increases in cost of living. As a result many homeowners have not kept up with required repairs, which means the value of their properties have not risen as much as other properties in the area who have been able to maintain their homes.          

This is why the Member of Parliament, Daniel Blaikie's, recent hosting of a forum on affordable housing was very much welcomed. The proactive approach to these issues will help in determining the needs and future potential of housing development in the community, and provide a framework by which an action plan can be developed. A panel of community and business leaders was assembled with Mr. Blaikie moderating the discussion. A question period followed. While there was general agreement that neighbourhood renewal was vital to the survival and flourishing of a city many concerns were raised about what it would do to a working class neighbourhood like Elmwood.  A key discussion point was the impact of  ‘gentrification’ and the displacement of existing residents if Elmwood is deemed an up and coming community. A great deal of concern was raised about the impact of what it would mean to residents if they were forced to move. The disruption in social networks which allowed them to survive, such as community connections, access to health services, food banks, these would all have to be reestablished after years of forming, sometimes decades. While no definitive steps were taken, residents were encouraged to connect with Elmwood Community Resource Centre  to support affordable housing initiatives in the area.       

Next Blog Article:  How To Inoculate Against The Gentrification Virus.

Massive Fee Increase for Rezoning at the City of Winnipeg Discourages Urban Infill Housing Development.

In Canada, in 2014, there were 391,000 jobs in housing. In that same year there were 189,329 housing starts. This translates to 2 jobs in the housing industry per housing start. The housing industry is one of the largest employers in Canada.  Housing as an industry is comprised of large corporations and small independent developers. The smaller independent developers collectively are responsible for a significant percentage of the development of housing in this country. A good number of these types of developers are actively engaged in infill development. This segment of the industry is responsible for creating jobs and supporting the local economy.  

I assert that general consensus from municipalities, planners, and the building and design industry is that infill housing development can be one of the effective strategies in developing sustainable cities. By developing infill properties the number of units on a site is often increased. Developing higher densities in established neighbourhoods helps stem urban sprawl and reduces green field development. Existing infrastructure is used more efficiently. Core area residents are much more likely to walk, use the transit system or bike to work reducing auto-mobile traffic.

These revitalized properties increase the tax base of older neighbourhoods. New developments in older neighbourhoods replace ageing sub-standard housing stock with new much needed housing. Cities and municipalities continually talk about encouraging development in core areas and within historic neighbourhoods often offering tax incentives to spur such development.

Much of this urban densification can be achieved by the development of small projects on individual lots in older neighbourhoods, such as the six unit development illustrated here.

These types of projects tend to be completed by small developers or even one time developers who develop a larger project as a part of their own home build and investment plan. For a small developer the risk of buying a property and rezoning it to suit an increased number of units on the site can be great. Given that the City of Winnipeg has recently increased the fees for the rezoning of such properties the risk has become even greater.

The City of Winnipeg as of April 1, 2016 has increased the base application fee for the rezoning of a property from $1,484 to $11,250. This is not a typo. The fee has in fact increased 7 ½ times. This fee would apply to the simple rezoning of a 50’ x 100’ lot in an existing neighbourhood or a 500’x 500’ lot in a greenfield development. There is a nominal fee to adjust for the size of the lot based on acreage; however the base fee remains the same. The rezoning of a large tract of land from RR to RMF for a residential development of 100 units would translate to a mere cost of $112.50 per unit. To rezone a property from R1 to R2, for a development of 2-6 residential units, would translate to $1875 to $5625 per unit. This fee increase clearly favours large scale green field development and discourages urban infill development.

My expectation of local government is that they be committed to replacing housing stock in ageing neighbourhoods. Private development is essential to cost effectively produce this much needed housing stock. Administration must create an environment that is conducive to small developers participating in the revitalization of older neighbourhoods and must provide incentive for small developers and first time developers to be active in this industry. 

The Value of Design Competitions; Warming Huts Competition of 2016

The Value of Design Competitions; Warming Huts Competition 2016,

(even when your entry is not selected)

REMNANTS

We went down to the river Jimmy and I. We were always free here. Free from the watchful eyes of adults, from rules and from homework. We found some lumber and plywood, a steel drum. “Let’s start a fire in the barrel!”  We scavenged down the bank. I found this round thing buried in the mud. Jimmy thinks it the top end of a smoke stack from an old paddle wheel boat.

We built a lean-to; Jimmy called it a Tee Pee. More drums formed a smoke stack and we capped it with the river boat top. We danced believing ourselves a part of a noble tribe. We played with reckless abandon. We held court, we waged wars, we talked about girls.

Mom and Dad and Sis would never understand this place, always so proper.  I was always so warm here. I wonder what ever became of Jimmy.

_________________________________________________________________________

Architecture at its heart is about artfully crafting space for a function. It is about place making. Place making is about connecting to people on some emotional, spiritual, intellectual or visceral level. When one decides to enter a competition like the Warming Huts Competition you must commit to an idea. You start in the ether, ground zero, and you engage your process. Who? What? Where? Why? You let your mind wander, you play with some ideas.

One of the ideas; lets recycle some material, let’s use 50 gallon recycled drums to create a fire place. What could that become? Maybe we should add a lean-to shelter opposite the wind.  A narrative story starts to emerge. The work starts to connect to my experience as a child, then our history. What if we fold this form? Keep it simple. An “Ah Ha!”, moment and we add some more history, a bit of drama. The nascent work becomes something that connects. We push forward. We had fun with the reminiscent nature of the narrative and allowed the final graphics to playfully express a different time and place.

Through a process that was focused on artful expression and less focused on building program  we came to understand a bit more of ourselves as architects and designers. We completed an exercise that allowed us to expand the way we look at architecture and this has been the real value for us. By participating we became better at what we do. In the end, we had not fully abandoned our pragmatism and the resultant work fit with a program. It fit to an idea that we were creating a place of warmth both literally and metaphorically. Even though we were not selected we have taken pride in our work and thought we would share it with those who are interested.

For the public as they engage the selected projects they will also be given the opportunity to ask the questions. Why do we build? How do we create place? In our creative endeavour how do we connect with our common humanity? This is the value of a competition such as this.

Congratulations to Peter Hargraves and the rest of the jury for another successful competition. We look forward to seeing the selected projects on the river in the New Year.

John van Leeuwen,

John van Leeuwen Architecture and Design

Community Hall