Earth Tones: ‘Glocalization’

Close to home

For decades Canadians – like most Western nations – have been focused on economic growth and progress, whatever that may mean. For baby boomers especially, economic growth and progress are rogues, or perhaps phantoms, that prosper with the few. What I mean is progress is a matter of perspective.

The melding and homogeneity that globalization causes in local communities is almost complete in suburban areas, at least from my viewpoint. ‘Glocalization’ has replaced the distinction and values of separate communities. It offers the hollow shell of an efficient, homogenized yet monotonous lifestyle. It encourages consumerism to go unfettered.

When I lived in the suburbs for three years – in Vaughan – most of what I saw was rows of housing with blandly uninteresting streets that begged to be by-passed. I had no urge to walk around these so-called communities. As you approach the suburbs, on every main corner resides a chain drug store or equivalent as if to remind us that this type of development really does make us sick. Think on it a little, and you will realize that the locations of major grocery stores – at least those north of Eglinton -  force us to drive great distances for every little amenity.

Our parents and grandparents used to walk to local stores, in the heart of their communities. Strip malls keep their distance from the sidewalk to beckon the multitude of over-sized vehicles with single drivers. We drive everywhere. We walk nowhere.

Born and raised in Toronto, I remember the joy of browsing family-owned shops by walking to them, by spending time chatting with the proprietor. Local store owners would know people’s names. It would be commonplace to drop in to say hello to the local butcher and ask about the best cut of meat to consider today. It is the fabric of relationships that binds a community together. It is in the knowing nods and smiles of the shopkeeps, and how they positively effect on our lives.

With all local distinction being eroded for this artificial promise of progress, everything franchised and all looking similar, there is no impetus to visit other towns or communities because they all look the same. Unless we mold progress for ourselves, it will be dictated to us in the form of modern economics with as little creativity and care as a balance sheet.

We strive to create a sense of identity within our own homes. We admire a distinct and cultural ambiance that surrounds us and our families with warmth and comfort, and yet we show little of this outside our front doors, on our suburban streets. We do not demand the same of the planners and developers who fail to seek enough of our input. I contest that we are losing our sense of place and with it, ourselves.

Chris Caldwell  has his Masters in Environmental Studies, Sustainable and Strategic Urban Planning with a Graduate Diploma in Business and the Environment, from York University. He is Ward 29 candidate for Toronto City Council in the 2010 Municipal Elections, and he is passionate about community and sustainability. www.caldwellforcouncil.ca

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