The Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) released The Case for the Core: Provocations for the Future of Canada’s Downtowns, affirming the critical roles of central business districts to national recovery after COVID-19. Developed through consultation and research undertaken with leading international urbanists, community leaders and downtown-builders from across the country, the report presents three possible scenarios for Canada’s downtowns to provoke a sharp re-thinking, spur dialogue and inspire bold action. The impacts of the pandemic on downtowns, which saw thousands of office workers transition to remote work and tourism come to a halt, devastated the street retail sector, shuttered cultural attractions, and gutted the hospitality sector that has been operating at less than 10% occupancy for 18 months. Coupled with the challenges of providing safe services to support vulnerable populations through the pandemic, Canada’s downtowns have become high anxiety districts with an uncertain future, affecting hundreds of thousands of jobs, people, and livelihoods.

The report explores three potential futures for downtowns and invites Canadians to make intentional choices: do nothing and risk a continual decline; take a speedy course to ‘get back to normal’ and end up with a return to the status quo; or commit to an ambitious ‘revolution’ that builds more diverse downtowns, prioritizes human and ecological health, takes tangible steps to address social inequities and equips Canada’s cities to achieve its commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development goals. The report makes the case for why downtowns matter, and why the experience of COVID-19 presents a profound, radical opportunity to rethink and remake them. 

This report is the result of CUI’s cross-country Bring Back Main Street initiative to support the recovery efforts of Canada’s economic and social centres — local main streets and downtowns — with solutions-oriented research, and the engagement of urban leaders and stakeholders. Canadians across the country are coming to terms with how the pandemic will continue to impact their urban lives. It has profoundly and abruptly struck at what makes downtowns work, accelerating many of the existing challenges and introducing new ones. 

The report challenges and asks: can the downtowns of the future be remade to be:

•  Equitable: Welcoming and inclusive, addressing systemic racism, economic and spatial inequities made worse by COVID-19?

• Vibrant: Drive local and national economies, while transitioning from the nine-to-five mono-functional office culture to more diversified, 24/7 ‘complete community’?

• Flexible: Redefine public infrastructure to showcase different modes and patterns of mobility and/or reimagine how to better use existing buildings, and private and public spaces; and rethink outdated rules which inhibit innovation and creativity?

•  Livable: A greater mix of affordable residential options, with new forms social infrastructure and more ambitious parks, bike paths, and other accessible community spaces that make our downtowns diverse multi-use neighbourhoods?

• Resilient: Prepared for future shocks—whatever may be next, so their future is never imperiled again?

The report also recommends a number of government actions to begin transforming our downtowns, including:

• Regional Task Forces that engage all stakeholders, with support from local, provincial and federal governments, to deliver Downtown Recovery Plans for Canada

• Creating visible downtown recovery action centres along main streets with federal, municipal and provincial partners to harness resources, coordinate activities, and provide a clear signal that business is back

• Swift and coordinated action by all orders of government to prioritize the allocation of under-utilized publicly-owned land and buildings to affordable housing, and community and social infrastructure

• Demonstrating leadership and a commitment to policy and investment coordination using instruments such as urban development agreements, tri-lateral funding, and working agreements with clear accountabilities and timelines.  

The Case for the Core: Provocations for the Future of Canada’s Downtowns was produced with support from the City of Vancouver, City of Toronto, City of Ottawa, City of Calgary and The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

canurb.com