Quote:
Originally Posted by Ricopedra
Some dumb folks here say skywalks kill street life - In winter in downtown Saskatoon street life is a Northern wall. Winter is always coming. Nuff said. Obviously they'll only enhance life here. Cheers, when they're built.
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I don't think those folks are dumb when they reference specific examples (Minneapolis) while you are speaking anecdotally.
If you had listened to the podcast referenced in this thread (it's quite good and I am now a subscriber) or read any of the criticisms of skywalks on the internet, there are a number of reasons why they may be undesirable.
1. What happens to the existing retail, especially stores that won't be included in the skywalk network?
2. In order to fully capitalize on skywalk patrons, a number of buildings would likely be redeveloped to include second floor retail. I don't know if the demand for all that extra retail space exists so would building developers be able to charge enough PSF to justify the redevelopment costs?
3. Will the skywalk system be public or private? In Minneapolis, anyone who is undesirable (homeless, minorities, youth, etc.) are essentially banned from the skywalks because private security guards keep them out. Is a downtown where the wealthy can walk around free of 'hassles' while the poor are left to freeze on the barren street scapes a healthy downtown?
I think skywalks would make sense in certain circumstances such as between a downtown arena and conference centre, but I'm not convinced they would be some sort of boon to winter shopping if they criss-crossed the entire downtown. If it was such benefit to be in a climate-controlled environment year-round, why aren't more locally-owned businesses located in Midtown?