Reprint: Why London's downtown matters

I couldn't help reposting this editorial from the London Free Press. They seem to get it better than some Windsorites.

Why London's Downtown Matters
The London Free Press
Jan. 11, 2008.

No discussion of urban design, or placemaking, or the Creative City, or a vibrant economy, or healthy suburbs can occur without a lot of talk about a city's downtown.

And there has certainly been lots of discussion about London's over the years. As early as the 1950s, downtown businesses have been fretting about a decline, while politicians have made various attempts to "revitalize" the core.

It's an ongoing project.

Downtown gets more attention than any other neighbourhood in London, politically, economically, socially.

And it should: it's the biggest in Southwestern Ontario.

Planning rules have been eased and taxes removed to encourage development of residences in the core. Laws have been written to prevent office skyscrapers from being built outside the core. Grants have been made available by various agencies to redevelop apartments above retail space and improve retail facades. The list is endless.

Hundreds of millions of dollars in public money have been invested in such institutions as the John Labatt Centre, the Covent Garden Market, the Central Library, the Convention Centre, the Central Y and the VIA Rail station -- all because community leaders, private and public, know a healthy downtown means a healthy city -- a healthy region.

It's all paying off. People are returning to the core to live. But that doesn't mean there's not still plenty of work to do.

Some Londoners believe the downtown is unsafe. Hogwash. Some believe there's nothing to buy. Hogwash. Some say traffic is a problem and parking is scarce. Hogwash. London's downtown has a larger variety of retailers, the best restaurants, more cultural activities, the biggest sporting events, superior business opportunities and unique residential options that beat out those anywhere else in the city. They're as not predictable as those in the suburbs, but they are treasures and they're unique to London.

Meanwhile, London's core is healthier than many other downtowns across the province, and certainly across the continent. The reasons for this are myriad, but mostly it is because community leaders have faith in it and have continued to invest in it. And they have faith in it because they know the downtown is not just the heart and soul of the city, it's the future. We can never be allowed to give up on it.