We're looking to Winnipeg for downtown vibrancy advice? God help us.
Just as a follow up to that...
There's an article in
The Winnipeg Free Press (June 2007), Winnipeggers have low opinion of downtown[/url:68ad7]. It seems they hate their downtown, so that makes Derf's comment even more appropriate...
Anyway, the article is interesting for what it says about downtowns, how people in Canada feel about theirs -- and note that once again, Victoria is nowhere on the radar. Regina & Saskatoon, yes, but Victoria? No.
Winnipeggers have low opinion of downtown
Updated at 6:39 PM
By James Turner
A survey of major Canadian cities shows Winnipeggers are most likely to condemn the appearance of their downtown core.
The study released Monday — undertaken by Calgary-based think-tank the Canada West Foundation — surveyed 500 people each from Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg on topics ranging from overall quality of life to protection of heritage buildings.
While the majority of Winnipeg said the overall quality of life in their city ranges from “good to very good,” our downtown core falls short in local eyes — 32.1 per cent of local people said our city centre rates low in the attractiveness of its streets, green spaces buildings and public art.
More Winnipeggers had a low opinion of our downtown than residents of any other cities in the survey.
In comparison, Vancouverites boasted about their downtown — 41.8 of them gave it an eight or more on a scale of one to 10 — only 9.8 per cent of Winnipeggers felt ours was as worthy of such kudos.
Only Edmontonians were close to Winnipeggers in expressing dislike of their city centre — there, 27.4 per cent of those responding gave the city a four or less out of 10.
People living in Toronto rated the appearance of their downtown similarily as those smaller centres like Saskatoon — 33.1 per cent of those surveyed in the Big Smoke said their city rates at least an eight out of 10, and only 12. 9 per cent on the low end of four out of 10 or less.
Derreck Seidler told The Free Press yesterday he moved out of an apartment on Hargrave Street at the end of February because of the way the downtown area looked.
Seidler, a thirty-three-year-old contractor’s assistant and University of Manitoba student, singled out the abundance of surface-level parking lots downtown as “eyesores,” and said he didn’t feel there was evidence of a plan to make the downtown into a place with a real neighbourhood feel.
“There’s definitely room for improvement,” Seidler said.
Another downtown resident, who asked not to be named, said the city kicking its cleanliness up a notch would help.
“It’s dingy — garbages are overflowing,” she said.
Across the street from her, Liz Reynolds, 24, was toiling over a flower bed, planting greenery as part of efforts by the Downtown BIZ to spruce things up.
Reynolds, in her second summer as part of the BIZ Clean Team, said she’d like to think it’s only a matter of time until people’s perception of downtown Winnipeg changes.
“It’s a slow process, but it’s changing,” she said sprightly.
Reynolds indicated she’s happy to do her part to help along the city’s image, but ultimately she feels we all have to play a part in its upkeep.
“I feel motivated to make downtown more enjoyable and prettier, but it’s up to everyone to make it better,” Reynolds said.
“I hate coming downtown,” said 83-year-old Garden City resident Marlene Miller while waiting for a bus near the corner of Vaughn Street and Graham Avenue – just down the way from a street construction project.
Miller said she remembered being a young girl and going on shopping tours along Portage Avenue, something she said she would never do today.
“It used to be so clean,” she said, adding she finds our urban centre’s overall appearance to be “terrible.”
The Canada West Foundation’s survey, part of a series of studies dubbed the Western Cities Project can be seen online at: [url="http://www.cwf.ca/V2/cnt/publication"]http://www.cwf.ca/V2/cnt/publication _200706030741.php
It should be noted the survey was conducted this past January and February — not exactly the time of year when Winnipeggers are likely to be outside enjoying the architecture or parks.
mailto:james.turner@freepress.mb.
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