Commentary around infill is sounding oddly familiar.

  • Where these places are, it's in the middle of the blocks. That's devastating.

    Edmonton Journal

  • It will totally change the look of the street.

    CBC

  • It doesn't do anything for affordability.

    Edmonton Journal

  • Residents said they may consider placing restrictive covenants on their lands.

    CBC

  • We're really not opposed to infills. We truly believe in responsible infills.

    CBC

None of these comments are about multiplexes, or even the new zoning bylaw. They're all from 10 years ago, in opposition to splitting a 50 ft lot and building two single family skinny homes.

The same comments, the same rhetoric, the same fears, and even the same tactics in restrictive covenants.

That has all happened before, in recent living memory.

It all kind of just turned out fine

But despite destruction of our neighbourhoods being so frequently foretold by speakers in council chambers, it all kind of just turned out fine.

Years after the bylaw came into effect, Sue McCoy, then-president of the Glenora Community League (a neighbourhood that's not well known for its love of infill), said she'd come around.

She said that most of the residents seem to accept skinny homes as part of the neighbourhood's modern landscape, and noted that younger families are moving into the skinnies, revitalizing the communities.

Look, change is hard. Especially when that change comes to something that you have a strong personal connection to, like most of us do with our home neighbourhoods.

But that same change is inevitable, and often, with time, regarded fondly.

Our neighbourhoods weren't built with character. Character is the result of growth and change over decades and generations of residents.

Now, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Sauron did forge the ZBR in the fires of Gene Dub's pyramids.

But from where I'm sitting, it looks a lot like history is simply repeating itself.

And the wolves that everyone is crying about?

A grid of twenty selfies of mostly white men in sunglasses, many taken in their cars.
Well, those are just white dudes in sunglasses.

Get my news and takes in your inbox

Don't let algorithms control whether you see my latest video or article. We don't need to include Mark Zuckerberg in our relationship.

Free. Emails from Troy Pavlek when I publish something new. Unsubscribe any time.

You're in. Thanks for subscribing!