爱城新唐人街计划的成功依赖于政府怎么处理无家可归者
原始发布日期： 2017-06-21 发布者：玉山字变大 字变小
 William Lau speaks at a city council committee hearing on the Chinatown Plan on Tuesday June 20, 2017, in Edmonton. Edmonton launched a new plan to celebrate Chinatown as an economic and tourist destination Tuesday, while admitting its success will hinge on how the city deals with homelessness and social disorder. The new plan calls for capital funding to deal with the ugly 97 Street bridge, a remnant of the old railroad; to relocate the Harbin Gate entrance and to reconfigure Mary Burley Park, which is now cut off from view and full of discarded needles. Instead of the park, a new flagstone plaza with a cafe patio and retail along one edge would become a place for a night market, food trucks and small festivals, said planners. But Chinese leaders said the key is dealing with social disorder. Having to frequently clear urine and feces off sidewalks is driving business and investment from the area, they said. "Open up the (social agencies) to the homeless people during the day so they are not on the street all year round," argued Ratan Lawrence, executive director of the Chinatown and Area Business Association. "They do deserve a better quality of life," she said. "They need a safe home with health care for the mentally challenged." The Plan The new economic development plan has five steps: • improve the sense of safety and security; • focus economic activity north of 104 Avenue with a greater diversity of businesses; • strengthen community leadership; • create a tourism and marketing plan for Chinatown as a destination; • improve the look and feel of the streets. Before the summer break, council will deal with a separate report on a wellness plan for the area, and with an initial suggestion of sites for supportive housing throughout the city. "We have two communities who live in the area who are not particularly compatible," said Coun. Ben Henderson, referring to the homeless and the Chinese. "We have to be really honest with ourselves if we can actually move the needle on this stuff. ... Otherwise we will be here five years from now with another study," he said. Several leaders pushed council to fund follow-up work, not just leave the report on the shelf, counting on local volunteers and business leaders to carry it out. Coun. Scott McKeen also suggested the project should have a diverse community-based advisory committee. City officials said they'll look at that and continue to fund a project manager until the end of the year. Council can vote on funding for ongoing support during the fall budget adjustment. "We want it to be a destination that people will want to go to," said William Lau, a recent university graduate who added his youth group of 150 Chinese volunteers is eager to get involved. It's about creating a place that celebrates many cultures, he said. "When we look to models around North America, they're not just Chinese; they're very diverse," Lau said. "It's the experience of walking into a store, acknowledging that the owners might not speak your language and that the products and goods are things that you might not be able to get outside that area. "It's how foreign but how local they are." estolte@postmedia.com twitter.com/estolte |