I would love to have a grocery store nearby, within walking distance that I did not have to use a bus or taxi.

I believe this is a great idea, rejuvinate the Historic neioghbourhoods of london. Like Hamilton Road, a neighbourhood in which I bumped into an old schoolmate who's done well as a reporter and author (RR). In fact it was in a very historic area of London; right in front of part of Tilley Hubbards original Crown Land Granted by Colonel Thomas Talbot himself! 495 Hamilton Road, The site where once stopod famous "White Ox Inn"

No suggestion of forcing use. Just thinking about how shopping actually works. One goes empty handed, but needs to get home with purchases.
This needs to be analyzed. Some people may never have experienced shopping without a car. Response was really to this wishful thinking Comment -- "As a single person living alone in downtown London, I would LOVE it if there was a grocery store that I could walk to. I'm pretty sure I could manage carrying three bags." Of what? How far? How often? In Winter? Prospective merchants would look at this sort of thing and Londoners need to examine their personal shopping patterns and any unmet needs. And the variety of stores these days that provide general merchandise.
Gave up the Market years, just couldn't carry enough on the bus make it worth it to north London, and paying a taxi eliminated any saving. Have also shopped by bike and again, one can only safely carry so much. What do a variety of downtown merchants say about how their customers deal with this? Some of us even order by phone, and have a courier to the pickup.

Gwen, I said encourage, not force. And I'm not just talking about grocery shopping, but also included local businesses.

Steph - of course the downtown "neighbourhood" needs a place to buy food beyond what the Market provides. Where it's not necessary also to provide car park land, just bicyle racks. But until some entrepreneur decides to create one, it is necessary for us all to analyse what we buy in person, and how we get our parcels back to our homes. Unfortunately the reporter did not do a walk through on what basics can be carried for a distance or hauled in a bundle buggy or on a bike, depending on the number of people in the household, regular shopping pattern and and shopper's own physical condition. Shopping for one no children underfoot is quite a different experience even from your grandparents' situation.
We assume anyone considering going into business there will do a study of the needs, but so do potential grocery customers. Is it sustainable? Another option is a citizen-organized facility like the old food co-op where members help manage it.

ya sure good idea and lets may 5 times the cost...we dont even shop Canada anymore...every two weeks off to the US and do all of our shopping well worth the drive especially with dollar high!

GWEN: "everyone" can't drive to their local grocery store either. As a single person living alone in downtown London, I would LOVE it if there was a grocery store that I could walk to. I'm pretty sure I could manage carrying three bags home by myself. It's not a rule that "everyone" should have to do something, but for those of us who would like to walk around, enjoy the fresh air and community, just having the option to do so would be nice. This suggestion goes hand in hand with having less residential-only neighbourhoods.

People wonder why London doesn't seem friendly, or why things aren't the way they "used to be" (RockinonLdn). The reason is because it has evolved. Big Box stores moved in, cookie cutter residential areas were built and technology turned into a much bigger deal that it used to be. Now London needs to reverse all of that. Toronto is big city but how many big box stores do you see there? It's more about little community markets and independent shops. I feel that by encouraging people to shop where they live you can turn any old neighbourhood into a community. You will see your friend's and neighbours on a regular basis, get to know local shop owners, and feel comfortable living in a place where people are friendly and kind.

YES! I agree! Being from London, I like the small town vibe. But the fact is that London is getting bigger. Places like Byron and Lambeth should have their own little downtown cores to provide entertainment, jobs, and a sense of community and culture.

The idea of making London more accessible to walkers and bikers is awesome and I really hope that this is taken into consideration.

I would have liked to have had the ability to shop in the neighbourhood in which I grew up in in Byron, but there was absolutely nothing within a 15-minute walk, just houses. About a 20-minute walk away there was a small plaza with a variety store, a restaurant, and a couple pizza places.

Our future developments need to be planned so that people can actually shop in the neighbourhoods in which they live. London is one of the few cities I've been to where you can't do this in many parts of the suburbs. Even in the suburban 905 areas outside Toronto, new developments are making it easier to walk to the store.

That's a really long walk to get to Westmount Mall. I commend you on walking that far - not all of us can be bothered to walk that far on a regular basis!

The neighbourhood I grew up in (near Boler Mountain) is absolutely dead. You can walk the entire length of Griffith Street and run into exactly one other person the entire way.

I personally prefer living in a place where you can walk down the street and buy fresh bread and produce and not have to either walk 25 minutes or drive 7 minutes and waste gas. In many parts of the world, even in suburbs, neighbourhoods were planned with commercial and residential development integrated. It's lively and gives the area a sense of place. Much of Byron could be mistaken for any other residential area in North America.

Byron is a nice area to visit, with Boler Mountain and Springbank Park being in the area, but it is not a place I would raise a family. Too isolated.

I live in Byron near Col. Talbot and find it easier to walk to a lot of stuff than when I lived downtown. I've walked to get groceries, I've walked to the mall (Westmount), I've walked to the drugstore and to get my car serviced. And when I take my granddaughter for a walk, we do not find the place dead with no people. She's got bright red hair and loves dogs; We are constantly stopping as people we meet gush compliments while she oozes delight at meeting a new mutt. In the winter neighbourhood kids plow my driveway, nice when my heart is acting up, and in the summer they are always there to cut my lawn if necessary. You're right, Byron could have more and it once did but as a place to live, it's fine by me and my family.

agree! we need to stop depending on cars to get to the corner store, park, shopping, etc. make it easier to walk or bike. GO GREEN

I don't have to imagine a neighbourhood where folk walked to the grocery store; I grew up in such a neighbourhood. It is now gone. Oh, the homes are still there and even the schools but the grocery stores are all gone. The folk in the area learned to take their cars to the store and not one of those old stores had enough adjacent land for ample parking. One little note: I live in Byron and walk occasionally to the grocery store. It still can be done. I guess I don't have to imagine a neighbourhood where it's possible to walk --- but, I do have to imagine folk actually doing it in any great numbers.

"Everyone" can't Walk to their local grocery, and many more can't carry the week's food home by foot. Or even by bike. How does the Pedro family handle this basic household need? Do you even let your children if old enough yet, go to the corner store for forgotten bread ?
Consider how often media cast their stories re We and Everybody without
consider the diversity of personal situations in a healthy community.

read Kelly's article on this topic here: http://www.lfpress.com/news/whoslondon/2011/05/06/18115011.html