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Investing in arts cure for core

You know those brightly coloured metal trees littering downtown? Those were part of London’s revitalization effort in 2007.

“Downtown is a pretty drab looking spot,” Bill Hodgson, the local ironwork artist behind the trees, told the Gazette last year.

The target of much criticism, the trees were actually a brilliant forethought into the kind of downtown we eventually want.

Last night, the City of London hosted a town hall meeting to discuss their latest revitalization effort — a 15-month study looking at where the downtown has come from and where it is going.

Between the report’s useless layers of formalities and jargon, there are some difficult realities that need to be faced.

For one, by locating social services and bus depots in the downtown core, the City has forced many of London’s less-privileged into the Dundas Street and Richmond Street areas.

While not a problem in and of itself, the resulting social stigma detracts from the area’s physical appeal and financial potential. The Masonville area is far more compatible with pocket books and business-types than most of the Dundas and Richmond area. Business planners are noticing this trend, and it will undoubtedly be a focus for their next strategy.

But the downtown problem runs much deeper than bus routes and business, and it’s something few are talking about.

In some cities like Montreal and Toronto, downtowns are concentrated hotspots for a community of musicians, artists and designers. This educated “creative class” congregates in galleries and venues, creating the foundation for thriving cities.

In London’s downtown, we have metal trees, but little else.

The result is a London braindrain, where Western and Fanshawe graduates flee back home because they never connected with the city.

Relocating social services and redirecting bus routes would attract more of the affluent class to spend their time and money downtown. New apartment buildings are trying to attract young and well-educated people to live in the core. Even the metal trees have attempted to create an environment where young people want to live, work and play.

As city planners hold meetings and citizens voice concerns, they need to recognize how important culture is for keeping and attracting young people to the city. As we graduate, grow up and settle down, young people want a richer cultural experience than Richmond Row can provide.

It makes good business sense these days to invest in the arts — especially in London’s core, where it’s sorely lacking.

The trees were a good start. But as city hall plans its next big strategy for the plan, they need to look beyond the bottom line and past the businesses.

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