could winnipeg learn from regina's downtown?
 

Iam just wondering what the rest of you guys think of regina's downtown compared to ours. Personally I really like regina's downtown compared to ours its fairly clean very friendly people and for a city of regina's size it sure makes it look like a much bigger city than it is. Winnipeg's still has way too many buildings up for lease with no tennants especially on portage around mts centre. Our downtown has improved somewhat but it still has a long way to go. Also Regina has the same demographics of Winnipeg but I never saw the native gangs and low lifes that you typically see in downtown winnipeg. I am wondering if any reginaites could post some pics up of their downtown for us because I find it really underated.

This'll be good.

^No.

and no to the original question.

Any wagers on lifetime of this thread?

Ummm...no. Our downtown isn't nearly the hellhole that it's being made out to be in some quarters. I have no fear downtown during the day.

Lots of pics of downtown Regina on my photoblog.

http://reginainpictures.blogspot.com

I'm sure there's always a few things people could learn from others.

With that said, there is little doubt what this thread will turn into: My downtown is better than your downtown! Nanahnanananah!

This thread won't end well...

:runaway:

Here are lots of pics of downtown from my site...

http://www.allwinnipeg.com/downtown.html

... the Exchange
http://www.allwinnipeg.com/Exchange.html

... the Forks
http://www.allwinnipeg.com/forks.html

I hope we can rise above the silly name calling and just have a real discussion about it because it is good to see where we can learn from others and vice versa. Regina still is shelbyville though!

haha shelbyville

Excellent pics, especially the night ones. No doubt both Winnipeg and Regina punch above their class in regards to their respective downtowns. :tup:

Look, someone's attractive cousin!

I like Winnipeg, I think it's a nice city and I wouldn't mind living there. The last time I was downtown in Winnipeg I saw some sketchy stuff (some guy passed out in a park) but I see these things in downtown Regina on occasion too. More than once I have seen someone shooting up behind my apartment building, and not too long ago I saw someone casually taking a piss on the corner of Victoria avenue and Lorne street. Fortunately, he was promptly arrested.

I live and work in downtown Regina and it's probably my favourite part of the city. It's nice during the day but, other than a few spots, it gets completely dead once the workday is done. There is a revitalization plan in the works that seems promising.

I think Aesthetically Winnipeg has a very beautiful downtown. Though like all cities some areas could be repaired.

And even at night I don't feel unsafe.

I actually find that even the panhandlers can carry a nice conversation. And if you politely decline to give them money they will leave you alone.

The only thing I don't like about downtown is the lack of people outside when there is no event going on at the MTS centre/ Canwest park.

I believe that the skywalk's are the source to that problem, (and people don't like to hear it) I really don't like them. In the cold they can be convenient, but really I feel thats why our downtown feels so empty.

I think one thing which has hurt both downtowns is the closure of the movie theaters, which attracted a few thousand people downtown almost nightly. In Winnipeg's case there is still one theater (Towne 8), but there used to be several theaters in the area, which fed restaurants and coffee shops.

I think that this thread should have been titled:

"What could Winnipeg and Regina learn from each others downtown."

So what are the positive and negatives of both cities?

I think Winnipeg could learn from just about any downtown.

^ Except for maybe Regina's, which is hardly something you would want to emulate. Winnipeg learn from Regina's downtown is as stupid as it gets.

I have seen many amazing cities in my time and many great downtown areas ... and not once have thought Regina should be a model for Winnipeg's downtown.

Winnipeg's downtown does have many great attributes, including some 30,000 residents, an amazing park area (the Forks), impressive throughfairs such as Broadway and Portage and some very urban areas. Add in some great public ammenities such as the MTS Centre, Canwest Park, WAG, the Concert Hall, the Burton Cummings Theatre, the MTC and the Pantages Theatre and a growing downtown University. Winnipeg also has some impressive corporate head offices, which draws thousands of middle and upper middle income workers into the area.

Of course there is room for improvement, but overall I would say for a city of its size our downtown pretty good. The fact that Winnipeg's downtown is spread over such a large area doesn't help create the density many of us would like, but we have to deal with the cards we are dealt. Winnipeg was really meant to be a much larger city ... Chicago of the North, which impacts it still today.

While a much smaller city like Regina can't offer the same level of downtown ammenities as Winnipeg, it still has a respectible downtown. With that said I don't remember the last time I saw 16,000 people floading downtown Regina to see a concert or event, yet on a weekly basis. ;)

both cities could learn a little from each other but realy this is appples to oranges

Sorry newflyer but 30,000 don't live downtown last I checked only 13,000 and of course Winnipeg's downtown has way more ammenities than Regina's that's because we are almost 4 times larger than Regina so we should have them. However the day to day street life is more what I am talking about. When I have been in Regina's downtown I don't see endless amounts of dollar stores and pay day loans and vacant for lease buildings. I don't see very many drunk natives or constant haggling for some change or a smoke. Now some people will say on here just say no and usually that does work but it is annoying none the less and depressing because more than half the people downtown look like charles manson or a drunk native and I am sorry if I upset anyone on here with that but its the truth just stand at the graham bus stop every day and you get to see why a large majority of winnipegers still don't like going downtown.