Spooky Jane's Walk: Multi-Unit Housing: What Are We So Afraid of?

1 Hour Walking Tour

Windsor-Essex Jane's Walk Fundraiser

We are in a long, dangerous, and expensive housing crisis that is difficult to manage. This crisis is nuanced and complex but should not be merely viewed as the natural process of the market or a function of a modern economy. It is a crisis of a multitude of decisions, policies, wealth and capital strategies, cultural sentiments, and public opinions. It is a crisis in a multitude of fields and industries like construction, real estate, architecture, engineering, planning, politics, and economics.

This all brings on a lot of frustrating questions and a lot of fear. Why do houses cost so much? Why is rent so high? Why are they building apartments beside my house? Who owns this vacant lot that's been sitting empty for a decade? Where should homeless people live? What about my property value?

Despite the complexity and the daunting challenge to manage this crisis, there are solutions. These solutions will not make everyone happy and they will require us to challenge our preconceived notions of what housing means, what success looks like, and what we are conventionally comfortable with but as I've heard many times before, "We are in a housing crisis, not a neighbourhood character crisis." We need to manage our fears and embrace what is already working in many places around the world and in our very own city. Don't be afraid!

Starting location:

Mitchell Park (399 Giles Blvd W, Windsor, ON) in front of the playground.

About the host:

Nicolas Lamoureux is the principal architect and owner of a local architecture firm called Atelier Lamoureux. He is passionate about housing and making architecture accessible to all.

About the Fundraiser, Spooky Jane's Walk:

Spooky Jane’s Walk returns October 17–25 with candlelit tours, historic cemeteries, true crime tales, and eerie neighbourhood walks in Leamington, Windsor, and Amherstburg.

Spooky Jane’s Walk is our annual fundraiser for the Jane’s Walk Windsor-Essex Festival, which brings more than 50 free community walks to the region each spring. Learn more at WindsorJanesWalk.ca.

Accessibility notes:

• Walk takes place on paved and unpaved paths.

Host or Publisher Windsor-Essex Jane's Walk Festival