The Value of Investing in Canadian Downtowns - International ...

The City has also taken strong leadership in
addressing social challenges that impact the core. For
example, the Mayor's Task Force on Breaking the
Cycle of Mental Illness, Addictions and
Homelessness was set up in 2007. One of the key
targets of this group was creating 1,550 net new
supportive housing units in Victoria. 5
The Downtown Victoria Business Association
(DVBA), the city’s business improvement district, has
also been a key player in the evolution of the
downtown. The DVBA worked with the City to create
the “Corridors of Light” program and invested over
$600,000 over a five-year period in improving lighting
levels in strategic locations throughout the downtown.
Additionally, the DVBA and the Victoria Police
Department worked together in 2008 to create
CONAIR, a program that saw individuals wanted for
serious, indictable crimes in other parts in Canada
returned to face those charges; as well as, RETAIL
C.O.P., a web-based, interactive program that permits
business owners to share information relating to
known and unknown retail criminals in the community.
Overall, the DVBA has established dozen programs
that have helped make downtown safer and more
visually appealing for visitors and residents.
Members from the private sector have also been
major champions in the downtown. Private
developers have championed many major downtown
residential and non-residential projects and have
been building employment and a critical mass of
residents in the core. The private sector has also
taken advantage of heritage incentives in the
downtown core and been responsible for upgrading
their properties and improving the qualities of the
downtown.
Downtown Victoria is widely viewed as the heart of
the CRD. Yet leadership issues can stem from
having 13 different municipalities comprise the region.
Interviewees noted it can be a challenge to
consolidate and integrate the varied goals that each
5
City of Victoria (2007) Mayor’s Task Force on Breaking the Cycle of
Mental Illness, Addictions and Homelessness – A Victoria Model.
Retrieved from: http://www.victoria.ca/cityhall/tskfrc_brcycl.shtml.
Accessed 2012 February 6.
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municipality has for itself. More specifically, having
so many planning authorities can reduce the
momentum behind intensification efforts, as
municipalities are generally looking to attract growth
within their own boundaries. This will be an important
challenge for downtown Victoria into the future.
Overall, interviewees expressed the importance of
collaboration between the City of Victoria, the CRD,
and both the private and nonprofit sectors. There
was a sense that the Downtown Core Area Plan will
help motivate increased collaboration and positively
guide growth into the future.
Symphony Splash, Victoria Harbour
http://www.flickr.com/groups/canadianskylines/discuss/72
157611000025917/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2009-0605-Victoria-
Harbor-PAN.JPG