London Free Press

A courageous city government armed with strong planning and urban design principles could make London the envy of Ontario cities, an internationally recognized planner said yesterday. London has "a very strong ambiance" related to its architectural history and scale and river location, Larry Beasley, Vancouver's recently retired director of planning, said yesterday. "Your inner city cries out for 60,000 people to live in it," he said. "If you add 40,000 to 50,000 people to it, your downtown will be so alive, it will steal the show in Ontario." Beasley was the keynote speaker at the 2006 City of London Urban Design Awards, organized by the city and sponsored by the London Development Institute and London Home Builders' Association.