General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours

[dtkvictim]

I made my reply in reference to "If not, how many more years do you think it will take before DTK becomes a bustling area?", which I don't think can be done without attracting people from outside the core.

I did not suggest rolling out the asphalt carpet for drivers, I'm suggesting that core should have businesses, an environment, and overall experience that are exceptional enough to come downtown despite having an unwelcoming environment for cars. I think, with the exception of some restaurants and the occasional event, the core is not attractive in any of those areas (and this is with a quite welcoming vehicular environment, some both of us hope to see change). I'm aware my posts about DTK come across as quite negative, but I make them from the point of view of expecting improvement, and having experienced cities so much better that I felt depressed upon returning to DTK. I want Kitchener to be that good.

Your comments about not wanting car-dependent undesirables in your part of the city is quite offensive too, seeing as it's not a choice for most people, and it's a privilege to live somewhere in Canada that you don't need to depend on a car.

Also, being able to point out a business that fits a niche exists is just the bare minimum... It says nothing about the quality of that business.

You can find it offensive that I don't want to destroy our city in order to cater to those who don't want to come downtown anyway, if that's your opinion, but I will restate my comment again, because while I was very careful with my words the first time, I don't want to be missunderstood...some people do not like downtown and never will, they don't want a lively urban area, for whatever reason they prefer a suburban mall. I don't understand it, but I respect it as their preference.

In my opinion, attempting to make downtown desireable to these people can only destroy our downtown, it can never improve it. I am not talking about privilege, I am talking about preference, our city is increasingly accessible by other means, and as I pointed out, there is no restriction whatsoever on driving downtown right now, those who want this experience, can get here if they can get anywhere. I am speaking of the goals of downtown, to try and make it more attractive to those who don't want an urban feel, will necessitate loosing that urban experience. That's what we've been doing for decades, it's time to go the other way, and if done at the same time as expanding housing in transit friendly areas, and expanding transit options in other areas, nobody who wants a downtown experience is excluded.

Instead by attempting to create a suburban mall experience downtown, those of us who DO want a downtown experience are the ones who are excluded.

That's not what I'm trying to say. When you are talking car dependent people, the first thing that comes to mind are those are don't have a choice, not those who do. But I understand how you could have meant the opposite. Thus my comment about privilege. So to be clear: I'm not suggesting that DTK caters to cars (or even maintains the status quo).

I think having outside visitors to downtown is a good thing, and right now there is very little reason for people to visit outside of work since they can get most of the same mediocre experiences elsewhere. So again, I'm not suggesting that we make it easier for them to drive down (I want the opposite of that), I'm suggesting that the downtown experience needs to get far, far better so that people will want to visit despite not being able to take their car as conveniently (or at all). Hopefully an increased population density is enough to encourage better businesses, but there are other aspects that governments of all levels need to work on.