SMART city


Taking a page from the big apple T


his past fall, several Winnipeg BIZ groups and business members attended the annual Interna- tional Downtown Association World Congress in


the big apple. One of the many conference highlights included a keynote address from New York’s just retired mayor, Michael Bloomberg.


Mayor Bloomberg spoke to


Downtown Stefano Grande


the success of public/private partnerships that have been formed to create Business Improvement Associations/ Districts in the United States and how these groups play a signif icant role in cities’ social and economic growth. Bloomberg also stressed the importance of empowering these business improvement districts and stepping out of the way so they can get the job of revitalization done. Put resources to work


While cities across North


America struggle to main- tain neighbourhood services,


Bloomberg, with the support of the business improve- ment districts, has capitalized on the city’s capacity to mobilize a greater supply of resources – with an empow- ered community and increased partnerships to help achieve economic development goals. Business Improvement Zones (BIZs) in Winnipeg are


a mix of city-mandated and voluntarily formed business organizations. Collectively, as a BIZ zone, businesses can achieve more than they could individually to benefit their market area. Business owners in these improve- ment districts themselves determine the level of taxes they will pay and commit to support enhanced street cleanup, graffiti removal services, security services, marketing and promotion of local businesses, holiday lighting, economic development initiatives, beautifica- tion and landscaping, and more. Te enhanced services these taxes bring to the com-


munity are essential to ensure small businesses and the neighbourhoods in which they operate are given every opportunity to succeed. More and more local residents have come to appreciate the role of the en- hanced services provided by BIZs in creating a better urban environment. In our city, 16 BIZs perform these services – sometimes


above and beyond standard city services. Regardless of the BIZs’ size, there are many volunteers who are helping to improve our city. Similar to New York’s partnership with business improvement districts, many Winnipeg BIZ groups have partnered with the city to better serve both the business community and our residents and visitors. For example, the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ created


a program in 2006 that helped intoxicated people on the street find appropriate support services, helping to improve the safety and well-being of all concerned. Te West End and Exchange BIZs developed a coalition sup- ported by the city that ensures graffiti removal in nine


So what does New York have to teach us? The Winnipeg Biz Association went to the Big Apple to find out.


BIZ zones, together improving our city’s image beyond BIZ borders. Other BIZ zones share resources and work together to maximize benefits; these are examples of the types of partnerships our 16 BIZ zones embrace. Te Winnipeg BIZ Association, comprised of these 16


BIZs who represent thousands of Winnipeg businesses, remains committed to beautifying and enhancing our communities for a vibrant and socially prosperous city. Most recently, Mayor Bloomberg launched a new busi-


ness improvement district, the SoHo BID, which marked New York’s 68th such district, and the 24th created under his administration. In his own words, Mayor Bloomberg believes the “SoHo BID will serve retail establishments along Broadway between Houston and Canal Streets and will work to promote and support the artistic, architec- tural, cultural, and historical landmarks that contribute


to the identity and character of the district and the SoHo community at large.” New York’s former mayor gets it – that it takes many


different partners and agencies working in concert to make change happen. Let’s increase our effort


Tere are lessons to be learned from Bloomberg, as


well as from the things we ourselves have achieved at home. As Winnipeg struggles to deliver the ever-increas- ing variety of services demanded by our communities, the BIZs can play a role by working with the city to improve our neighbourhoods. It is time to ramp up the capacity and role of BIZs in Winnipeg and form stronger public/private partnerships across the entire city. Stefano Grande is executive director of the Downtown


Winnipeg BIZ.


Bold planning for our city C


“It is clearly a dictate of common sense to plan a city as


it is to plan any other intricate and important structure.” -City of Winnipeg Planning Commission Report 1913.


ivic planning started out being important to Win- nipeg, the first city in Canada to appoint a civic planning commission. It was supported by the


Public Parks Act passed by the province in 1892, and by 1897, no less than eight parks had been established. Later, Winnipeg adopted the City Beautiful concept, which held that beautiful surroundings help curb crime and bring out the best in people. While still a beautiful city in


Bold Ideas Dorothy Dobbie


2014, our ability to step back and see the big picture needs a reset. This is evident after examining the variety of docu- ments that came out of the OurWinnipeg visioning process of 2009 to 2011. The dreamers and drafters


have looked at a variety of is- sues, including arts and cul-


ture, housing, parks and green spaces, and they spent lots of time on managing water and waste and even more time talking about “sustainability,” but the reader is left feeling confused and frustrated by a lack of specifics and an overall vision. What will the city look like by the target date of 2020?


March 2014 A return to the City Beautiful concept of the last cen-


tury, where streets are wide and tree-lined, and buildings conform to an aesthetic code, would be a good first step. Tis requires leadership that can see past the mundane


issues of the day and envision what might be. We need retail and commercial development bylaws to


mandate green spaces in front of buildings and prevent construction from butting up against city sidewalks. Street-front parking in new strip malls should be banned. It makes better sense to put the parking at the back of the strip facing the alley and to leave a space for greenery – grass, shrubs and trees – in front. Existing malls could remedy bad later-20th-century planning by adding green- ery in raised beds and in plant islands. Tere should be plenty of curbside parking spaces in


retail and commercial areas. New parking garages should be built underground or at least with attractive facades such as the one on Lombard Avenue. We need a city-wide strategy to replace aging lamp


standards with attractive, well-designed fixtures to enhance the beauty of our streets. We need to insist on having hydro and telephone lines buried in areas where they still loom overhead. There should be aesthetic standards built into our


building codes, complete with bylaws restricting certain types of signage. We need to return to green boulevards, replacing the


ugly bricks and concrete that look good for a year and then deteriorate, collecting sand and dirt and heaving and cracking after their first rough winter. Beautiful surroundings do bring out the best in people.


Tey attract business and development. And they instill pride in our citizens.


www.smartcareers.ca


How to beautify Winnipeg


1.Integrated rules and regulations for commercial develop- ment, with a focus on aesthetics. The ugly and ill- planned, hodgepodge of commercial development along Route 90 is a prime example of What Not to Do. Access roads should have been part of the strategy to prevent the traffic problems that have arisen in the Lindenwoods area.


2. Insistence on developer-created parking structures to reduce ugly footprints at box store malls. Alternatively, discourage box store shopping centres, which are ridicu- lous in a cold weather climate.


3. Burying hydro and telephone lines. This is more than just aesthetics. Ice and wind storm power outages af- fect thousands of residents.


4. Sensible street parking. Over the past number of years, the parking authority has systematically removed parking spaces from downtown streets by building curb extensions and prohibiting parking in front of many busi- nesses. Why? You would think they are in league with parking lot owners.


SMART TAB 5


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