An urban expert said Windsor could become another Detroit with its population flocking to the suburbs.

Shawn Micallef writes for the urban issues magazine, Spacing. He said communities like Lakeshore are thriving while boarded-up homes sit dormant and schools have closed in west Windsor. Micallef grew up in Tecumseh and attended the University of Windsor. He now resides in Toronto

He said the government needs to do more to protect Windsor's core and prevent developers from building many projects in the suburbs.

"We don't like it when our money is burnt and spent on frivolous things," said Micallef. "Building new infrastructure outside of the city when there's good infrastructure being left to rot inside is just another form of burning public money."

The province has legislation called the Places to Grow Act. It is an attempt to prevent the concerns raised by experts like Micallef. However, as he pointed out, only some cities fall under the Act and Windsor isn't one of them.

"[The legislation] acts as a buffer where no new development can happen and it forces developers to intensify the parts of the area that are already settled," said Micallef.

"It would force people to kind of return to the downtown and be a little more creative in how they live and at the same time we don't use all that farmland," he said.

Micallef said the modern family tends to be attracted to more space in the suburbs and newer homes.

"It's similar to what's happened in the Toronto-area, just on a smaller scale," said Micallef. "When you drive into Windsor from the east or the south, the kind of sprawl that you hit gets further and further away from the core of Windsor."

Micallef said Windsor's downtown is great with all the right pieces in place for it to thrive.

"I think it requires folks in Windsor to start speaking up and demanding the same sort of regional planning that the Toronto area has," said Micallef.