Big Thinking, Big Moves
The 10 Big Moves of the London Plan
London (Ontario) (yeah, the other London) saw the release of the London Plan on May 22. The result of what is believed to be the largest public participation planning exercise in Canada, it brought together the ideas, hopes and visions of nearly 15,000 Londoners. It’s a plan that is meant to guide the growth and evolution of this city over the next 20 years.
At rtraction, we think it’s a good plan. An exciting plan. And a workable plan for a city that is ready for a new vision.
While we support all 10 of the “Big Moves,” we’ve got a few favourites, starting with “giving real and attractive mobility choices — walking, cycling and transit.”
There’s a growing trend, especially among Millennials, to eschew cars for electronic connectivity. While we’re a fairly young company in terms of staff, with a number of co-op students and recent grads in their early 20s, we’ve also got a few outliers at the other end, who are in their early 50s. But regardless of where we fit in that that 30-year age range, there are a large number of us who walk or bike to work. Building a city that allows us to travel by our own power, whether it’s to work or shop or be entertained — this is important to us. And growing in a way that supports walking and cycling, as well as “shaping our City around rapid transit,” is a direction that we strongly support.
Walkability is an important component of another Big Move: building strong and healthy neighbourhoods for everyone. We believe in neighbourhoods — we believe they are the building blocks that make up great cities. London’s Wortley Village neighbourhood recently won “Great Neighbourhood” in a contest run by the Canadian Institute of Planners, and we think that London could have other nationally recognized great neighbourhoods. rtraction recently relocated from downtown into SoHo, an area that was first developed in the 1840s and is undergoing a renaissance. We’re getting to know and appreciate our new location, with its heritage architecture and its growing number of businesses, including a wide range of lunch options within a few minutes’ walk of our office. And we’re watching this neighbourhood become a hub for new economy companies that currently or will soon include Phoenix Interactive, Red Rhino, Drive Creative, MLD Solutions, Akira Systems, Inspiratica, Arcane and ATMOS Marketing. We’re especially fortunate: we’ll be moving our 13-year-old company into a 127-year-old building.
Our planned move into the London Roundhouse aligns with the Big Move that is “planning for exceptional places and spaces.” A big opportunity for London is the chance to rethink old ideas of urban planning; one of these is to celebrate the river that runs through our city. Unlike most cities, London has mostly been built with our backs to the river. But the Thames is a sanctuary for many creatures, including blue herons and the Eastern spiny softshell turtle. We believe that with the right planning, it could become a sanctuary for two-legged creatures too.
Exceptional places and spaces can also be part of “creating a cosmopolitan city — one that is culturally rich and diverse.” London has often been considered a fairly staid city, but as with most things, you see what you expect to see. Look closer, and you’ll find a city with a vibrant theatre and music scene, some great art galleries, and a number of amazing festivals, including the upcoming Sunfest. But arts and culture need patrons, and a city that plans for and supports its artists, and helps turn citizens into arts champions, is an exciting, dynamic city.
One of the Big Moves is “building a city that attracts talent and investment.” As a company and as individuals, we want a city that our current and future team members want to live in, an exceptional city that will draw and keep the kinds of people we want working here. We believe that if we do a good job with the nine other Big Moves, this city will continue to attract talent and investment, which in turn will feed back into the other Big Moves.
For one reason or another, we’ve all decided to come or stay here. We believe in this city. But we also believe that we can make it better. The London Plan is a giant leap forward in not only building but thinking about how to build a great London.
You can be involved in the next step. Start here to get an overview or the details of the Plan, or here to see how the Plan affects where you live, work and play. Share your ideas and opinions on how our city will grow and evolve over the next 20 years. Nearly 15,000 people have already spoken up. Add your voice.
