What If Every Street in NDG Had a Little Place to Stop?
We spend a lot of time thinking about how to get people moving. Walking paths. Bike lanes. Public transportation. Cars. Sidewalks. All important. But perhaps a truly connected neighbourhood should also think about something much simpler: Where can people stop? Not shop. Not spend money. Not make an appointment. Not accomplish anything. Just stop. Sit down. Watch the world. Rest tired legs. Talk to somebody. I think NDG could become an even more wonderful community if we deliberately created hundreds of tiny places where people could simply be together. The Humble Bench There is nothing technologically impressive about a bench. And yet I think a bench can be one of the most powerful pieces of community infrastructure we can build. Put a bench in the right place and watch what happens. A senior sits down halfway home from the grocery store. A mother rests while her child investigates an interesting bug. Two teenagers sit and talk. A dog owner stops for fi...