The future of Tecumseh should be more walkable and livable if an addition to the town's new official plan has the impact planners hope.
Urban design is one of the key elements to the new planning document that will replace the three official plans the town has now as a hold over from the former municipalities that make up Tecumseh.
Chad Jeffery, manager of planning for the town, says a main goal of municipal planning now is to give back some of the dominance of cars on roadways to pedestrians and cyclists.
"It's not to say that we can't continue to drive, but the automobile has been really the only way to get around in a lot of places and it's about shifting that to other modes and getting more of a balance," says Jeffery.
Part of the goal of urban design is to address the need for public spaces to be more attractive to people for future viability and sustainability.
"Places that get people out into the community," says Jeffery. "They're experiencing their community in a different way than maybe what they're used to."
Jeffery adds a key objective of the new official plan is to create a more sustainable framework for the town's future to ensure the current population is provided for while not compromising the ability to meet the needs of future generations.
The first of two public open houses for the new Official Plan was held at the Ciociaro Club on Wednesday while the second is set to be held at the Tecumseh municipal offices at 917 Lesperance Rd. on Thursday from 4pm to 8pm.
The official plan sets out goals, policies and objectives towards the future development of the town and is expected to reach council for approval later this year or early 2017.
