Winnipeg Free Press

There has been an upsurge in interest among city governments, over the last few years, in the world of design in general and architecture in particular. And most of it is in the name of the revitalization of the downtown core. The media has certainly taken notice. Hardly a week goes by that a story doesn't appear, somewhere, on urban design, growth, the city centre and downtowns. City governments' attempts to increase the vitality of their city centres have led to tax relief (Winnipeg), the redesign of key areas (Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria), a design review (Calgary, Vancouver), more mixed-use (Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna, Vancouver), business/government coalitions (Saskatoon), and social investment (Regina). There is evidence to suggest that business, in its quest to recruit and retain the best and brightest, is, more than ever, concerned about the quality of life of cities and their associated vitality, especially the attractiveness of vibrant city centres. Richard Florida, who has written about the "creative class," has noted this linkage: he and others maintain that investing in city centres is an important variable in increasing the overall health of a city and, hence, its appeal to the "creative class." In other words, and in a phrase made famous in Field of Dreams, "build it and they will come". Cities are coming to realize that a vital city centre is in their self-interest and a significant factor in ensuring competitiveness. Downtowns have evolved over the years from places which had a mixture of uses, to places of sterility during the 1960s and 1970s when there was an exodus at 5 p.m. and empty streets in the evening, and, recently, to more interesting places where people are choosing to visit and live in larger numbers. Vancouver is a model of a successful city-centre living strategy, with a permanent growing city-centre that leads to stimulation of a variety of other activities.