Placemaking in action

It is cool in London, Ontario, among those in certain groups to detest suburbia. Cookie cutter homes they say on streets that are far too wide. And those garages at the fronts are simply ugly, they say. I say, "Fuddle duddle!"

I'm not an expert on architecture and if I am way off I am sure I will hear about it. But, I think this suburban home, more than two decades old --- maybe closer to three --- is built in a style reminiscent of Colonial Revival which of course borrowed heavily from the Georgian.

It's funny. A home like this in north London, built possibly in the 1920s, is cool. But find one built 60 years later in a southwestern suburb and you may hear criticism.

There's a buzzword that city planners like to throw around: Placemaking. For me my neighbourhood with its streets lined with well maintained homes is a place that I and others like to walk. We find it a very pleasant part of the city. We believe our suburb a fine example of successful placemaking in action.