For a society that consumes so much stuff, it’s remarkable how we like to push  industrial production and distribution out of sight.

In Fraseropolis, most industrial zones are screened from the view of people sitting in their living rooms or standing on their lawns, and the number of vehicle access points to industrial zone is kept to a minimum.  The biggest issue is trucks.  We don’t want them near residential streets.  They rattle the teacups.  They are feared as a threat to pedestrians and property values.

A couple of decades ago, decision-makers in the Township of Langley went the extra mile in banishing industry to the margins, creating Gloucester Industrial Estates in a rural area near the municipality’s eastern boundary.  (We’re talking fabrication, assembly, food processing and warehousing here, not black smoke.)  Gloucester has good access to the Trans-Canada Highway, but it is far from any residential area and most services.  Continue reading →