(DT) A Vital Downtown- Walk-ability

Downtown success in the 21st Century requires that it be pedestrian- friendly. No one is inspired to walk from store to store at the Corral Centre- we've all had that near death experience! The quality of life downtown is attractive because it was built in the pedestrian age. And downtown's walkability is one of its competitive advantages.

Ensuring that the streets are walkable is critical to a successful redevelopment downtown. The vitality of any downtown is proven by crowded sidewalks. Empty sidewalks make the downtown look dead.

Walkable means comfortable, safe, interesting, and enjoyable. People like to window-shop, walking from store to store. Past efforts at downtown renewal in Brandon have included at least some attention to making the streets pedestrian friendly. The BIA investments in landscaping, decorative sidewalks and lamp posts, the NRC's storefront improvement grants, the City's flower baskets have made strolling downtown Brandon very enjoyable.

The piece that's missing in downtown Brandon are the destinations. We need interesting places to walk to! Walkability suites the economics of commercial development downtown where niche boutiques, restaurants, and entertainment venues are well suited to the smaller storefronts. Imagine strolling along a revitalized Rosser Avenue or up 10th Street to Princess past a complex mix of retail shops, hotels, grocery stores, housing, offices, artist studios, pubs, and theatres. A critical mass of these pedestrian-scale venues must be established as quickly as possible. Making sure that a pedestrian has something to do for 4-6 hours, that residents daily needs can be comfortably met, that rent and sale prices justify new construction and renovation, are all key to a successful downtown renewal.

The walkability of our downtown streets is a critical piece to this economic development. The more a person walks, the more storefronts they encounter, thereby increasing the pool of customers. The next piece of the downtown renewal puzzle then, is filling the buildings with viable commercial enterprises.

This post is part of a series on revitalizing downtown Brandon. The next blog post will look at economic development efforts that other communities are using to renew their downtowns, and what opportunities they may present to Brandon. Further posts will discuss zoning, regulatory issues, and parking amongst other components of successful renewal results.

(DT) A Vital Downtown- Arts, Culture, Heritage

Successful downtown renewal efforts frequently use arts and culture to draw people to the area and create vitality. The arts can also create a sense of identity and a unified vision for Brandon, and for downtown.

Arts and heritage are key to downtown Brandon's health and well-being, its distinctive identity, and collective pride. Downtown has the unique ability to tap into our collective memory, an essential component for a strong sense of community and sense of place.

The arts have also played a strong role in developing a cohesive community. They are a pathway to further civic involvement in its most fundamental sense. Arts, culture, and heritage tell us who we are, where we have been, and where we are going. They bring people together, drawing newcomers into the community, and providing opportunities to further our understanding of each others uniqueness.

Brandon 2.0 is a very different city than the one my grandparents knew. Ethnic diversity has brought a richness and vitality to our community. Brandon's downtown could play an important role in shaping the identity of our diverse city, and offer a way to meaningfully evolve different traditions and identities into our collective future. Arts and culture gives us a way of finding and expressing shared hopes and values and help create the potential for generating a sense of belonging. Through the arts, we can find a commitment to work together to build a better future.

Brandon is rich with special events and festivals which bring a sense of celebration to our City. However, the arts doesn't have to be a spectator sport (pun fully intended). Nanaimo's annual Banner Festival brings the community into a process of creating public art that is a focal point of local identity and pride.

Concert halls, museums, and galleries have immense potential as testing grounds for new visions of how we live together, and provide new ways to establish shared values. The Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba's Hockey Town installation was a witty and unusual look at Canada's national obsession. The downtown Public Library is expanding its role to include a meeting place where immigrants can share their stories. The General Museum, when launched, could be a cornerstone of Western Manitoba's cultural foundation.

Brandon has always recognized the opportunities around signature sporting events, and now we should widen the scope to include the dynamic opportunities of cultural tourism. Whether its the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Stratford theatre, the Montreal Jazz Festival, or the Fargo Blues Festival, more and more of us are planning our leisure travel around these cultural events. ArtCity transforms Barrie Ontario into a giant sculpture park.

Older neighbourhoods in the core area could also benefit from arts initiatives, through new business and regenerated property values. This improves the tax base, decreases vandalism, and develops a new found pride in ownership. Granville Island in Vancouver is renowned for its integration of arts, culture, and heritage and the role these play in this one derelict and now dynamic neighbourhood.

Tying many of these blogs together is the idea that there is a direct and valuable connection between cultural development as it enhances the quality of life and place in Brandon, and the economic impact it could have on our city. Workers required for the knowledge-based economy will be critical for Brandon's future success. They look to settle in a place that stimulates their creative interests. A city that nurtures and celebrates artistic creation, creates fertile ground for inspiring innovation on the broader economic, industrial, and social spheres.

This is part of a series on revitalizing downtown Brandon. Coming next is a look at how to make our downtown more walkable, and why that's important. I appreciate your feedback and you can email me at shariformayor@gmail.com.

(DT) A Vital Downtown- Entertainment Central

Brandon needs to let go of its memories of a 1950s era downtown that was the region's central shopping area. What we need to focus on now, is what do we want this unique physical area to be in order to meet Brandon's and Westman's current needs. It's a natural part of the renewal cycle for a downtown to take on a new identity, to reinvent itself every few decades, transforming how people see it and use it.

Look to Fargo, a community and downtown very similar to Brandon. Downtown Fargo has become more vibrant in the past five years and it is becoming destination-oriented. Restaurants and entertainment venues have become the best performing businesses. People are going to downtown Fargo for the nightlife and enhanced shopping experiences.

The driving force in downtown Fargo has been food and the expansion of the dining and entertainment opportunities. The restaurants created the buzz, which has lead to residential energy such as the rehab of apartments and the creation of condos.

Special events such as street fairs and cruise night are drawing in existing Fargo residents who have lost touch with their downtown. Most of downtown Fargo's retail tenants are independent stores. The unique character of the downtown business mix is, in part, what is drawing shoppers downtown. and many of these shoppers are from outside Fargo. Much like Brandon, Fargo has limited natural tourism opportunities and so had to create the attractions. The downtown entertainment and retail draws are now part of the tourism opportunities for that community.

Brandon has a good start on creating a critical mass of entertainment and leisure opportunities in our downtown. We also have summer special events to bring folks downtown, and the Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts could be a competitive advantage in a food-focused plan. Along Princess there is the Y, Princess Park (with Oliver's Bistro bbq), and the new Cambell Skateboard Plaza. A bit further along and Clancey's offers a unique restaurant-pub experience. Along Rosser we have a few more pubs, bars, and great restaurants. 10th street is home to the proposed Strand Theatre project, and across the street the Brandon Folk Music and Art group are hosting coffee houses with live performances. Local community theatre and dance troups have their rehearsal space downtown. And a bookstore and the library, independent galleries as well as the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba are part of the cultural foundation of Brandon. This culture-entertainment cluster is established, we just need to build on it and ensure that it thrives and grows.

In addition to enhancing what we have, downtown Brandon would benefit from a signature development project that would help the revival. Ideas for catalyst projects range from brew pubs to hotel complexes, movie theatres to a performing arts centre. In Regina, the Leader Building is being transformed into an artist business centre with market rate art studio housing on the top four floors, the second and third floor dedicated to arts organizations, artist business centre, classrooms, and a gallery. The main floor is a restaurant and parking is on the lower basement level.

Complimenting the entertainment centre concept is a program to utilize vacant storefront windows, transforming them from dirty, dusty, blank stares into vibrant, interesting spaces full of art and life. Not only would art in the window look better, but it would draw attention to the vacant buildings themselves, benefiting the owner.

Pittsfield, Massachusetts took the idea one step further and made arrangements for local artists and musicians to turn the windows into studios and rehearsal space. Imagine driving down Rosser and seeing windows with artists working on pieces, actors rehearsing their lines, a musician practicing. Pittsfield artists sign month-to-month, no rent leases but pay for utilities.

Critical to a vibrant downtown is a broad mix of residential. Empty-nesters with spare cash and a hankering for an urban lifestyle, young professionals avoiding the road rage inducing commute over the 18th Street bridges, students (see previous blogs The Young and the Restless, and When the Kids are Gone) are market segments that may find living downtown desirable.

The objective is to determine a mix of different attractions that bring a mix of people downtown at different times of day, on different days. If Moose Jaw, Regina, and Fargo had the same starting point as Brandon in terms of challenges and opportunities, why have they been successful with their revitalization efforts, and Brandon continues to languish?

This post is part of a continuing series looking at Vital Downtowns. Topics include heritage, zoning and regulatory environment, economic development among others. I appreciate your feedback. You can email me at Shariformayor@gmail.com.

(DT) A Vital Downtown.... its all about the plan

"The future is not someplace we're going, but one we're creating.
The paths to it are not found but made"
John Schaar

Development in downtown Brandon is happening in a vacuum without the context of a longterm vision and plan. The vision of what our downtown could be- functionally, physically, socially, economically, is a critical first step.

An example of a clear vision is Winnipeg's CentreVenture and their Public Destinations Committee. The Committee's vision is to make downtown Winnipeg the place it used to be, but in a different way. Downtown Winnipeg used to be the place you went to see the best that the city had to offer. The Committee wants to restore that reputation by investing in parks with a world-class feel. The skateboard park at the Forks (designed by the same firm doing our own Campbell Skateboard Plaza) and the reinvention of Central Park are solid examples of striving for excellence.

But you don't need to be big to plan well. Carberry, Virden, and Russell are also known for their impressive downtown revitalization efforts. Achieved because they have leadership, vision, and a plan.

Why is a plan important?

• Good planning is the bridge that links us from where we are to where we want to be.
• Planning gives us a sense of direction.
• Planning increases our potential for success
• Planning helps determine how to allocate resources.
• Planning ensures that we can accomplish defined objectives- how do we know we're successful if we don't know what we're measuring against?

So where do we want to be with our downtown. Do a bit of imagining or bluesky thinking. What if our vision for downtown is a arts culture entertainment centre with historic architecture and a distinct atmosphere, with casual-chic restaurants and a compelling night-life? For example, imagine that every parking lot was now an outdoor cafe.... can you see yourself strolling along 9th Street to meet up with friends on the patio for a pitcher of Sangria? Maybe we'll pop over to the new Thai restaurant that just opened and then catch the new show at the Strand- who's performing? Or maybe your vision is more focused on retail. Imagine showing off some out of town guests the funky little boutiques that downtown is famous for, or dropping by the brew pub for a quick pint. Or maybe it's about living downtown. Leaving the loft with those exposed brick walls and walking up the street to Princess Park for some early morning tai chi then popping into Ginger Cat for a latte before heading off to work or class.

These are all wonderful, compelling visions for downtown. What would we need to do to get there?

• linkages with government agencies such as NRC or Renaissance Brandon. Each sector has a role to play and each must understand the strengths and limitations of the other in order to forge an effective partnership.
• design that enhances the historic architecture- capitalizing on its best assets and pedestrian friendly streetscapes is just part of the story. An inviting atmosphere created through attractive window displays (see the upcoming design blog for the artists in the windows idea), parking areas, building improvements, street furniture, signs, sidewalks, streetlights and landscaping convey a positive visual message about the downtown and what it has to offer.
• promotions and marketing sell a positive image of downtown Brandon and encourages consumers and investors to live, work, shop, play, and invest in downtown Brandon.
• economic restructuring and diversification strengthen Brandon's existing economic assets while expanding our base. Brandon needs to put more effort into Ren Brandon and Economic Development to help sharpen the competitiveness of existing business owners and recruit compatible new businesses and new economic uses to build a downtown that responds to Brandon's current needs. Part of that effort could be converting unused or underused commercial space into economically productive properties which would also help boost the profitability of downtown. The City may have to use both sticks and carrots to ensure that property owners are part of this process.

But first we need leadership to say that downtown is a priority for Brandon. And then we need the plan....

This post is 3rd in a series about revitalizing downtown Brandon. Next up is a look at how other communities are using their downtowns.

(DT) What I imagine downtown Brandon to be....

Great cities have great downtowns. A great downtown draws people in; it inspires, energizes, and tells the story of the people who inhabit it. Downtowns tell us who we are, where we've been, and where we're going (and at what speed).

The head and heart must work in concert if we are to begin such a critical and arduous journey as revitalizing downtown. It requires the most important asset downtown Brandon has- memory and the emotions it unleashes. But downtown revitalization also has tangible benefits that should appeal to our practical natures. A downtown recovery means more residents and more jobs, both downtown and elsewhere. Downtowns are an important recruitment tool for New Economy workers and the "creative-class" jobs. It means more out-of-town visitors bringing more outside money into the area. Property values (and the City's tax base) are enhanced.

Downtown has a diversity of meanings. When I've been talking with people, they mention the role it plays in civic pride and community aspirations, it speaks of our confidence and prosperity, and can be a showcase for sustainability.

For me, downtown Brandon should be....

• For All Brandon- downtown should be integral and integrated with the city and the region, a welcome social gathering place for all Brandon.
• A Complete Livable Community- downtown should be a neighbourhood where people live, meet, stroll, shop, congregate, learn, and play.
• Gorgeous- downtown should be a source of civic pride, with a strong identity.
• Connected- downtown should connect to surrounding neighbourhoods and the activities within.
• Dynamic- downtown should be animated and vibrant 24-7-12.
• A Hub- downtown should be a centre of arts, culture, creativity, innovation, and knowledge and serve as an incubator for artists and entrepreneurs.
• Walkable- downtown should offer a streetscape that encourages people to walk.
• Safe- downtown should be a place where people feel safe and welcome, providing Jane Jacob's "eyes on the street".
• Healthy- downtown should foster healthy lifestyles and sustainable environments.
• Accessible, Inclusive, and Diverse- downtown should be open to all, and foster a diversity of uses, people, activities, and living choices.
• Historic- downtown should build upon its unique identity and heritage.

This is a series outlining opportunities for downtown Brandon. Upcoming posts will deal with the role City Hall could play in redevelopment, innovations in zoning, economic development, and other issues core to the successful revitalization of the core.

When The Kids Are Gone

Third in a series of posts that look at ways of growing Brandon's population to 70,000 people- the magic tipping point to new benefits for our community.

Whether they are empty-nesters, snowbirds, young retirees, more and more 60-75 year olds are looking to relocate. And being a destination of choice becomes even more important as 3.7 million boomers retire and look to lifestyle issues as a driver in their relocation plans. If history is any indicator, the baby boom's impact will far exceed expectations.

With greater wealth, higher levels of education, and more active lifestyles, Canada's aging population is headed for an empty-nester and retirement lifestyle different from that of any previous generation. What can Brandon offer this group?

While weather and leisure remain important, retirees are looking for a community "where they can make friends and connections quickly, whether it's a small town or a walkable neighbourhood in a big city." They also want to live somewhere where they can indulge post-work passions, a second career, or a newly adopted sport. Canmore Alberta is one of Canada's hottest new retirement communities. Entertainment-cultural options are also important. Las Vegas tops the list for retirees in the US, surpassing Florida and Arizona. A promising aspect for downtown, active retirees are looking to downsize their accommodation. After looking after houses and kids, some are interested in trying out downtown, urban living. This cohort is also looking for great healthcare, something that Brandon as a tertiary care centre, can offer. Cost of living- stretching those retirement dollars, is something that Brandon could also offer.

And how do we find these folks looking to relocate after retirement? One option could be taking the marketing campaign to them- in symphony halls, ski hills, vacation resorts, wine tours. Brandon offers a safe, affordable alternative to large commercial centres where cost of living is high. Utilizing networks of financial planners, whose clients are the target market, is another opportunity.

Marketing is all about product (amenities our city can offer), place, price, and promotion. So we also need to anticipate what some of those amenities could be.... we have a foundation in arts and culture we need to build on, we need to look at our recreational plan in terms of 55+ adults, we need to increase our healthcare services with this age group in mind, and we need residential options that cater to their needs. Just a few ideas, what are yours?

Married... with children

Second in a series about how to grow Brandon's population. 70,000 appears to be a tipping point where communities are large enough to attract "more".

In the first post, I had referenced research that shows that once the kids move away from home they don't come back. So how do we attract them to Brandon- or to return to Brandon?

When asked to describe Brandon, many people say it's "a great place to raise kids!". We have great schools and lots of recreation. Brandon is a safe city. So what do we need to do to market Brandon to young families? First we need to find out who to talk to and then we need to build an effective message to give them.

The work-life balance is undergoing huge shifts. Some of the most innovative (there's that word again!) and successful companies have come to understand that employees with children are far more productive in a family-friendly work environment. Competition for talent is becoming fierce, and if Brandon is going to move beyond entry level minimum wage jobs, we're going to have to have the labour force to do it.

Daycare options are critical for any working parent. Safety, easy transportation, affordable housing, parks, recreational facilities, organized sports are naturals. But parents want an enriched environment for the children so music and dance lessons, community theatre, art classes for young people are also all part of the strategy. An appreciation for heritage, the de rigueur memberships in museums, and youth groups are also important to parents. And interestingly enough, and maybe in response to the increasing globalization of our society- diversity is also an asset when attracting young families.

So we know what we have, now how do we use it to bring more young families to Brandon.

• reach out to young people who have moved- or better yet, don't loose touch with them in the first place. With Facebook, online newsletters, webpages, and the marvel of "Mom's" network, it is easy to stay connected. Make sure they know about the new water parks, the job opportunities, the national rankings that put Brandon in the top ten.
• Young people here know young people "out there". Maybe they went to school together, maybe they're now related. Use these social networks proactively to promote the City.
  
• Create family-friendly environments. The City could take a leadership role but leading by example, by encouraging the business community to also be family-friendly, by creating a family friendly city- events, facilities, public policy, day care advocacy.
• Make sure the city is affordable. It makes no sense to talk about the importance of sports or music in building our community if many families can't afford to participate.

Of course, in addition to attracting families to the city, we also enrich the family experience for the parents and children who are here. Family friendly means that Brandon builds on its strengths and becomes a place that gives children and teenagers the freedom to explore, discover, and self-express with tolerable levels of risk. Kinda' like being a parent.

The Young and the Restless

I'm going to post a series of thoughts around growing our population, and I'd really like to get your feedback. Brandon recruits businesses, but we don't actively recruit people. If we're going to get to 70,000, we need to think about the people behind the businesses.

In today's post, I'd like to look at recruitment and retention of our young, unmarried, newly graduated 20-29 year olds.

We say we want to keep our young people in Brandon To do that we're going to need to offer the employment opportunities and the lifestyle that they are looking for. There is a lot of research that says that once they're gone, they're gone for good. Despite popular mythology, they rarely return in their thirties to settle down and start families. So, how do we keep them?

We have about three thousand students at BU and ACC who are, in effect, test driving Brandon. In addition, there are 20-29 year olds who are working, attending the Fire College, etc. Even big cities like Philadelphia are trying to match young people with local jobs and proactively are working to improve their city in order to retain or attract young people. Brandon should also be proactive.

Part of the environment we need to create or reinforce:
Great Career Opportunities

• The institutions do graduate surveys to find out where their alumni are and what they're doing. Could the City insert a question into the survey that asked why they left? What we could do to be more attractive to young people?
• Does the City look at cluster theory for economic development? (geographic concentrations of interconnected companies, specialized suppliers, service providers, firms in related industries, associated institutions such as education or regulatory bodies.) Are our "clusters" recruiting? Are they offering entry level positions for newly minted graduates? Are the "clusters" attractive to young people such as new media, arts, environment?
  
• Brandon should be proactively building a culture of entrepreneurship.

Lifestyle

• What opportunities does Brandon offer for gregarious, socially outgoing young people? Beyond bars and nightclubs, what else is there to do? A national poll asked young graduates 20-29 to rank their favorite Canadian cities to live in. Top were Calgary, Ottawa, Victoria, Edmonton, and Guelph. Why? Arts and culture, affordability, good restaurants, lively places to hang out, and diversity were all listed as desirable characteristics.
  

Obviously, there is a lot of potential here that deserves more than a brief blog and lip service. All plans should be built on data- so let's go get some and then start building the plan!