Comment 52783

By Mogadon Megalodon (anonymous) | Posted December 07, 2010 at 16:12:15

Self-identifying as a noble bubble is all very well and good, but once again, the downtown's greatest failing -- and here I'm defining downtown by the BIA map -- is its weak density of residents with large amounts of disposable income.

Wall off downtown now and you're not looking at an especially attractive picture – especially when you consider that features such as Copps, Hamilton Place and the AGH are built around mandates much larger than Queen/Wellington/Hunter/Barton.

Are parking blocks an eyesore? Yes. Is lack of parking a canard? Pretty much absolutely. Will downtown thrive without relating to the rest of the city? No. Should it do so by compromising its (pardon the pun) core identity? No.

But neither is it perfect as it stands. Nor is its commercial/residential formulation beyond reproach.

If downtown had a sufficiently compelling and high-quality retail/dining/entertaining mix and pent-up demand for sophisticated high-density residential options, some perceptive soul would be breaking ground on one of our many centrally located greyfields and cackling en route to the bank. Perhaps they would choose the CIBC at King and James, in knowing recognition of the fact that those towers were the last major privately funded new build in the city's downtown.

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