Suburbia: A Dangerous Place To Raise A Family.

Over the past few weeks, I have complained about the social isolation, car dependency, illogical public transportation and pavement obssesions that accompany living in london, Ontario, but today I read about a bigger problem [in the Free Press from May 15].

"Drugs, sex assaults feared as youths meet in woodlot"

This infamous woodlot is a few hundred metres behind my mom's house! It's shocking because there's a 'stigma' of safety and security associated with suburban life. I disagree. I have always disagreed. When I'm walking home from a night out in london, Ontario, at 5 in the morning [I mean 1 in the morning, Hi Mom + Dad!], I'm actually a little scared walking down completely deserted streets, listening to the echo of my steps, without any signs of life whatsoever. There's no sense of security where there's no street life 24 hours/day! Furthermore, this is a 'nice area' where houses range in value from $200,000 - $400,000 [That's a lot for this town!]. I would have never expected the activity that goes on in the woodlot.

I was extremely shocked by a number of quotes in the article:

"Neighbours have had homes pelted by eggs, paintballs and even dog feces."

"One woman was forced back inside her home when a youth ripped a sign from the ground and charged at her..."

"City staff didn't respond until rumous of a second sexual assault surfaced in the spring, this time involving a 13-year-old girl and a 19-year-old man."

"Two youths lived in the woodlot for some time, making an eight-metre lean-to with pool covers and siphoning gas from vehicles to fuel a fire."

"Neighbours later found taped-over plastic bottles they believe are leftovers from cooking crystal meth."

And the one that blew my mind:

"As dusk approaches on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, neighbours see pricey cars stop next to the park, drawing youths to their windows... they seem to attract girls who appear to be 12 or 13 years old."

WHAT?!?

The woman featured in the article is the head of neighbourhood watch and she lives around the corner. I almost wish I was here longer now to suggest solutions. It would be such an interesting project to undertake! It would be amazing 'to take back the park!' I think that part of the solution is to make this a useable public space, especially at night. Perhaps large-scale neighbourhood potluck BBQs, sports nights [there are 2 soccer fields and 3 tennis courts] or yard sales, with plenty of lighting provided by the City. Activities could occur on Friday and/or Saturday nights when families can stay up a little later. If the park were more of a destination, a place where people gathered and stayed for a while, these stupid kids would stop coming around so much. Presently, they are the ones feeling safe and secluded within the confines of the trees. Naturally, this would require a new sense of community cohesion and the elminination of this stupid individualism [remember the seven-foot tall fence?] that has plagued this neighbourhood for a number of years.

Also, searching for precedents would be useful. This is not the first time this sort of thing has happened in the history of the planet. Searching for previous soultions applied by SMARTER municpalities could in turn lead to a local solution.

The City's current solution is to thin out the already heavily fragmented woodlot to increase visibility. Soon it may resemble my barren, barren thesis project site! Bravo london...