The City of Steinbach is growing quickly. New subdivisions, changes in by-laws and addition of large retail businesses are all in response to strong demand from the public. A tension exists between those who want things to stay the same and those who want it to change. How can we maintain the self-sufficiency, the moral integrity and the smallness that makes each citizen accountable to every other person in town? At the same time what about that quality of Steinbach that also makes it unique: its industriousness and blooming potential? How can we direct the vitality of growth rather than ignoring it and watching it drain to Winnipeg?
For those of us rethinking lifestyle, remarkably, the one thing we haven’t done much is to discuss how each of us sees Steinbach in, say fifty years. Focusing on today’s issues without first establishing that vision can never lead to productive collaboration. I suspect that a wise person considering Steinbach’s frustration at this stage would quickly recognise the telltale signs of adolescence. Like adolescence, it can be troubling and emotional. And without proper guidance, it can be disastrous. And like an adolescent, we must respect and preserve the values of our childhood. Embrace change and seek it, but not succumb to the pressure to “be like the big kids”.
Consider then, an option that we have largely ignored until now. Imagine Steinbach fifty years from now with everything you wanted in a city – absolutely everything. Let go of the details, and of today’s issues. The potential visions for the City of Steinbach go far beyond merely staying the same or becoming another Winnipeg. We can create something completely new and our own. But to do it, we need you to think about it and talk to your city councillors. Let them know what your “dream Steinbach” would be in fifty years - absolutely without limits - so that we can figure out how to do it together. Here are some things we can start to think about:
Will we shop at local businesses?
Will streets be laid out well for public transit?
Will there be a dedicated network of biking and walking trails for commuting?
Will there be community areas where people can gather?
What about community parks, gardens, and green spaces?
How will energy be produced, water and sewage treated, waste recycled and destroyed?
What will our schools look like?
What would our ideal downtown look like?
How can we build Steinbach’s culture into the infrastructure?
Will people shop and work in Steinbach rather than travelling to Winnipeg?
Appearing over the next few months in this column will be excerpts from a book published in 1977: A Pattern Language. Have a look at some of the ideas about how to design a home, or a town, or a community that will serve its inhabitants well. You’ll certainly be surprised at the possibilities that we can agree on, which none of us had even considered.
Wade Wiebe