Really? Wow!
It didn't work then, but I strongly believe it would work now. Back then was the beginning of sprawl and people were living further and further away from DT. There was obviously not enough population to support it, which is a huge problem we have. This is why new condo developments are so important. We need to be increasing density and drawing people to the downtown to do things. I say if the council truely cares about revitalizing the downtown, they must encourage many more condo/apartment buildings and re-introduce a creative retail center to our downtown.
Great ideas like that are what will make or break us. At least the council of yester-year were imaginative and TRIED. Today, our council is unimaginative and afraid to do anything. We are trying too hard to preserve the past and not trying hard enough to develop an innovative, revitalizing plan for the downtown.
We need to address the downtown density issue NOW. Paradise and CBS are expanding at a rate of over 1200 houses a year. With the average household population of 2.5, that gives us about 3000 people a year moving to the suburbs. I highly doubt we have increased the population of downtown that much in the past 30 years. At least we are beginning to add condo developments such as Henry Bell/Mix, Star of the Sea, Fort Williams, The Narrows and Harbourside but that is not enough. We need more! Already we are seeing, and complaining, about the negative effects of urban sprawl and it will only intensify unless action is taken.
The reason that great retail idea didn't work downtown is lack of density. Council should have realized that in 1972 and started working to solve that problem. But instead, here we are in 2012. looking back at all that time, we have done virtually nothing to solve our diluted downtown. For years it seems we left our downtown to rot. We are finally trying to get back on track. I just hope it is not too late.
Edit: My 300th post! ^^^ woot party!