Indian Road is currently one of the most contested sites in the local region and an imbroglio over the expansion of the Ambassador Bridge has served to remind us of national differences in relation to public works projects. Here is a view on the Windsor side to the Ambassador Bridge's new truck plaza that has had its LED signs up and ready to go for over a year. However, this new border infrastructure seems to confirm the difficulty of establishing bi-national projects that meet the interests of everyone concerned . Most of the houses along Indian Road are currently boarded up, thus increasing the perception of Windsor as a post-industrial urban wasteland. To add to the confusion, Indian Road is a native burial ground; hopefully any redevelopment of the area will take into consideration the memory of this site's various pasts. This site poses several questions about the physical conduits between nations as urban sites: whether we ought to see border crossings as gateways or as transit zones. Ultimately Windsor can do both, but its recent history tends toward the latter, a kind of 'drive thru' or convenience store approach to planning that serves the immediate needs of transnational capital (which always resides elsewhere). Perhaps we need to enlist some local trolls.
I have rented a room on Wyandotte on the West side of the bridge near Mill for the past three years. An overwhelming number of houses which have the bridge as their back yard are part of the University ‘student ghetto’. Students generally just want low rent housing while completing their degree and could care less for the environmental quality of the neighborhood when aiming to stay on budget. The lack of permanent residents to the area renders minimal opposition as the students will be long gone with the completion of their degree by the time new environmental issues develop.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the smell of diesel in the morning?
Looks like that section of the 'ghetto' will be gone soon, raising the issue of where replacement student housing will be, or if the rents will actually rise in the west end for students when the housing stock is depleted.
ReplyDeleteI know that near the Sarnia bridge there have been remains of native artifacts were found when the second part of the Bluewater bridge was added. I found this section of an article on the http://www.tourismsarnialambton.com/main/ns/3/doc/20 website.
ReplyDelete"When the Blue Water Bridge added a second span, careful excavation was done to the land. More than 400,000 Indian artifacts were found, ranging from carved bird stones, to ancient pottery. That excavation also occurred for the new Duty Free Shop, and experts agree the area is one of the best archaeological sites in North America, as it has been a stopping point for transient native bands and traders for centuries, due in part to the great fishing and narrow crossing point beneath the bridge. Each layer of excavated dirt represents a different century of habitation in this region, so the findings tell us much about the local human history, history that might have been lost if the bridge wasn't twinned in 1997. "
I found Devon's posted article interesting, especially on word choice. It claims the local history would have been "lost" (more like undiscovered) if the bridge wasn't twinned. They also claim the site was "one of the best archaeological sites in North America", so naturally they decided to honoured it with a parking lot and Duty Free.
ReplyDeleteBut back to Indian Road, I believe it shows how many interest groups are involved in the new border crossing. Off the top of my head I can think of 6+ levels of government, the Detroit International Bridge Company, DRIC, GreenLink, and a slew of NIMBY community groups all trying to be heard and get their way. I think the easiest part of the entire process would be getting Canada and the US to agree on a crossing... we just have to figure out what we want within our borders first.
Wow! That is very interesting. I didn't know that area was an Indian burial ground. That holds such great sentimental and historical value which should be respected and marked for the general public. I’m not sure if some sort of monument would be too cliché.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that the west side of the bridge is a student ghetto. I, myself reside in this area while I complete my schooling. The constant turn over of students threw this area does not help. .