International Downtown Association Conference Minneapolis, Minnesota September 21-24, 2012

1. The Value of Investing in Canadian Downtowns International Downtown Association Conference Minneapolis, Minnesota September 21-24, 2012

2. ‘The Value of Investing in Canadian Downtowns’ study • The first study of its kind. • Designed to raise awareness and create an ongoing dialogue around downtown issues in Canada • Aims to bring downtown stakeholders together across the nation • Works to develop a body of high quality ‘downtown specific’ data • Seeks to highlight the level of effort going toward downtown revitalization across Canada

3. Sustainability Connectivity Architecture and Design PublicRealm What makes a downtown great? Heritage Innovation & Venture Capital Diversity Culture

4. Principles for a thriving downtown Measures downtowns against 5 principles: • Visibility • Visionary • Prosperity • Livability • Strategy

5. Downtown Study Areas

6. Downtown Study Areas

7. Canadian downtowns are enjoying a period of renaissance Canadian downtowns are: • Moving in a positive direction • Benefitting from innovative partnerships • Adopting progressive approaches to urban development • The subject of long terms plans and planning processes

8. Principle 1: Visibility Does the downtown play an integral role in the life of the wider city?

11. Principle 1: Visibility Does the downtown play an integral role in the life of the wider city? • Downtowns are undergoing a renaissance • Downtowns are iconic and powerful symbols for a city • Downtowns may be physically small in area, but typically highly visible

12. Downtown Toronto is crucial to the strength of the city and region • Occupies 3% of the City’s land area but generates 25% of the City’s property tax revenue. • Home of Canada’s largest stock exchange • Strong concentration of historic and distinctive architecture • Comprehensive range of cultural, educational, and retailing amenities and services • Concentration of major infrastructure. Union Station is the busiest passenger transportation facility in Canada, with 65M passengers.

13. Principle 2: VisionaryDoes the downtown have strong leaders that collaborate to achieve a shared vision? • A clear vision goes a long way • Patience, Patience, Patience • Downtown specific master plans are helping to shape and articulate downtown visions • Implementation of downtown master plans must consider local circumstance • Implementation efforts benefit from strong partnerships. • Tracking and monitoring downtown achievement is invaluable.

14. HRMbyDesign has unlocked development potential downtown • Unified stakeholders and created a positive dialogue around development. • Strategic Urban Partnership has been established. • Introduced heritage incentives and design guidelines. • Brought certainty to application process, reduces application processing time from up to 3 years to 60 days. • Helped unlock development potential in the core, more investment in the 3 years than the previous 20 years combined. • Revitalization efforts are young and long term commitment will be required.

15. Downtown Toronto does not have a specific master plan • Downtown Toronto, is not subject to a single master plan, allows for local champions to emerge and diverse neighborhoods • The size and diversity of Toronto’s downtown creates a need for innovative partnerships that are likely to remain viable and consistent across election cycles Just a handful of downtown Toronto’s many city builders:

16. Principle 3: ProsperityIs the downtown’s economy robust and innovative? • Residential development is bringing vitality back to downtowns • Downtowns are retaining office space • Downtowns have a strong concentration of jobs

17. Edmonton has developed a formula to attract residential growth • Proactive municipal investments to enhance the public realm (i.e upgraded streetscapes, plantings, and green spaces etc) and residential development has followed.

18. Downtown Toronto has attracted high portions of new development

19. Post-secondary institutions are transformational city builders

20. Downtowns make a major contribution to the City’s bottom line

21. Principle 4: Livability Is the downtown vibrant, livable and connected • Downtowns are experiencing positive population growth • Downtowns are accommodating young, educated populations in smaller households • Downtowns are providing a growing number of dwellings but are challenged with housing diversity and affordability • Downtowns have to overcome perceptions and concerns over lack of safety

22. Land use data can help identify development potential

23. Downtowns have higher rates of walking and cycling

24. Downtown Toronto is becoming increasingly livable Toronto Reference Library 519 Church Street Community Centre Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens Regent Park revitalization Waterfront Revitalization

25. Principle 5: Strategy Is the City strategically investing in it’s future? • Many new public investments in Canadian downtowns. • Large investments grow confidence and increase profile of downtown. • Smaller investments add up to be transformational. • Tracking investments can build momentum behind revitalization efforts.

26. Downtown investment must be ongoing

27. Public investments in Downtown Toronto • Redevelopment of Union Station • Nathan Phillips Square • Post secondary sector has made significant investment in the core i.e. U of T, Ryerson, George Brown • Important investments in arts and culture i.e. AGO, ROM

28. Innovative approaches to financing The Partnership in Saskatoon • Collaboration between the City and the BID since the 1980s, sees money collected from parking meters being spent on streetscape upgrades in the downtown. Heritage Incentives in Victoria • Heritage incentive have been highly successful in Victoria. • Heavily leveraged by the private sector and led to significant investment in the downtown. • Led to dramatic increases in downtown assessment values, that in effect pay back these grants over time

29. Innovative approaches to financing • RE-DO-IT Ottawa: Development charges waived in downtown Ottawa. • Additionally: • Applications dealt with on a priority basis (90 days). • Parking standards and open space requirements relaxed. • City compiled a list of vacant sites with development potential. • As a result, more than 6000 units built since 1994 • $9.2M exempt since 2004, but increase in property taxes compensates for loss in less than four years. • Program so successful at attracting growth that it has been discontinued.

30. Collecting and visualizing data Melbourne, Australia Curbside cafes 1983 Source: Rob Adams, City of Melbourne

31. Curbside cafes 1993 Source: Rob Adams, City of Melbourne

32. Curbside cafes 2004 Source: Rob Adams, City of Melbourne

33. extent of bluestone paving in 1985 Source: Rob Adams, City of Melbourne

34. extent of bluestone paving in 2004 Source: Rob Adams, City of Melbourne

35. 1983 • = 5 dwellings Source: Rob Adams, City of Melbourne

36. 1997 3,763 dwellings • = 5 dwellings • convenience store Source: Rob Adams, City of Melbourne

37. 2002 9,895 dwellings • = 5 dwellings • convenience store Source: Rob Adams, City of Melbourne

38. Contact Katherine Morton Senior Planner, Economics and Research email: kmorton@canurb.org phone: 416.365.0816 x280 fax : 416.365.0650 www.canurb.org