Downtowns Are for People—Now Let’s Put Them There
By Mary W. Rowe, CEO, Canadian Urban Institute
In 1958, Fortune Magazine published a prophetic essay by a then-unknown Jane Jacobs titled Downtowns Are for People. That piece laid the foundation for her seminal work The Death and Life of Great American Cities, which upended decades of conventional wisdom about what makes urban life thrive. Her message was simple but radical: cities flourish when they are built around people, not just buildings.
Today, that message is more urgent than ever. Downtowns across Canada—Ottawa, Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto, London and more—are struggling. But these cities are not alone. The pandemic didn’t create the crisis in our urban cores; it accelerated long-standing systemic issues facing municipal governments—the lack of jurisdiction, resources, or authority to fully address increasingly urgent issues that affect their economic and social functioning.
Even before COVID, the vibrancy of Canadian downtowns was challenged by land-use patterns focused on commercial office space. The rise of telepresence technology and remote work had already begun to reshape corporate culture. Workers no longer needed a dedicated office—they wanted flexibility, mobility, and community. Congestion was making commute times worsen and the appeal of working from home was growing.
When lockdowns hit, the shift became permanent for many. And calls to “get workers back” have largely fallen flat.
But the hollowing out of our downtowns isn’t just about empty office buildings. It’s also about the outright failure of other systems—housing, health care, community safety and social supports. Decades of underinvestment in supportive housing, combined with the devastating impacts of a toxic drug supply, have turned downtowns into shelters of last resort. Mental health and addiction crises are playing out on our sidewalks, and the postcard image of the Canadian downtown has faded.
The solution isn’t blaming the victim or finger-pointing between orders of government, nor is it nostalgia for some kind of pre-pandemic downtown fable. What we need are pragmatic, people-first approaches that recognize the complexity of each challenge and builds on what’s already working.
Across the country, promising efforts are underway. Local action teams—made up of outreach workers, emergency responders, and housing providers—are offering immediate support to those in crisis. Owners of Class B and C office buildings are converting underused space into affordable or student housing, maker and cultural spaces. London recently converted its first office building into residential apartments. CTV News London provided one of the first tours onsite.
Underutilized churches are opening their doors to artists and performers. A circus is now in Montreal’s St Jax and a cultural venue in St. Paul’s in London.
For their part, municipalities are investing in public realm upgrades to improve downtown “curb appeal.” Post-secondary institutions are repurposing surplus commercial space for learning and research, such as the University of Calgary and Fanshawe College have done.
These are not grand gestures. They’re practical, incremental moves that reflect Jacobs’ core insight: vibrant downtowns are built by people doing different things, at different times, in shared spaces. Teaching, selling, celebrating, transacting, living. As she put it, “You can't rely on bringing people downtown, you have to put them there.”
Calling on governments and the private sector to order their workforce back to the office has proven to be ineffective and is only part of a larger solution. What’s needed is more housing especially affordable and workforce housing in the urban core. More investment in public spaces that invite gathering and make people want to linger. More support for local businesses, cultural institutions, and community organizations that make downtowns feel alive. And it means recognizing that downtowns are not just economic engines—they are social ecosystems.
Created by CUI, the Ottawa Board of Trade report “Living Capital,” urged every sector to invest in downtown living, job creation, and public space. Other cities are following suit with their own plans, including Waterfront Toronto, Arts Commons in Calgary, London and Quartier des Spectacles in Montreal are all showing what’s possible when we treat downtowns as places to live, not just work.
Cities are always evolving, and the opportunity for downtowns is to invest in what they’re becoming. The trends are clear. The tools are available. The urgency is real. Let’s stop demanding people back and start building the downtowns where they want to be.