Quote:
Originally Posted by CCF
A theatre in the city the size of Regina serves the broader city population, not at the local neighbourhood. As such, the residential population of the downtown is moot. Arguably the downtown makes the most sense given its central location and high accessibility from all areas of the city.
That being said, land costs being cheaper at the periphery drives developers towards suburban locations, and Regina City Council isn't regarded for its forward thinking planning....so this will be a slam dunk and approved.
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I agree with you regarding theatres serving the broader population in a city Regina's size. While downtown feels like a sensible location, a factor people often discount is that commuting in Regina (especially off-peak) is easy. I know commutes have increased compared to 8, 12, 20 years ago... but it's still not a huge obstacle to overcome for most people. This has widespread impacts that people seem to gloss over when talking about development in the city:
- businesses: in other cities, certain neighbourhoods can foster their own 'community' of businesses, because it's difficult/time-consuming to get to other areas for these good/services;
- transit: as much as I would like a robust transit service, most people have cars, and most people can drive themselves to their destination as fast/faster than taking a bus. This is not the case in many cities - Ottawa, Toronto & Vancouver, for example. Transit is quicker in a vast number of scenarios;
- city planning: we don't want a hollowed-out downtown, but at the same time, it's relatively easy to get to restaurants/pubs/entertainment venues/etc that are spread around the city... sure, it's nice to have a concentration in one place, but developers would likewise argue this about areas like Aurora, Grasslands, etc
I bet a lot of east enders would be indifferent to driving to theatres at Southland, Normanview or downtown. All are locations are reasonably accessible.
Although I don't buy the claim that there's a shortage of parking downtown, I wouldn't debate the fact that parking at Normanview or Southland is easier than downtown.
I live spitting distance from Southland, and I routinely go to Normanview for movies because I prefer the theatre. 10-15mins max. I wouldn't bat an eye at heading to another part of the city for dinner/drinks before/after the show.
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