Saving Downtown

So many songs about downtown. What is downtown? People in Canada and U.S. will look at you twice for such a question because they know that it’s the seat of power: Stock Exchange, City Hall, Courts, Hydro, Post Office, sports stadiums and all those shops.

Downtown is in trouble because of feet. Settlers from Europe landed downtown, where the ships docked, creating all kinds of tentacle business. Time passed. Downtown colors and businesses changed, so original settlers moved uptown, to leafy suburbs and double garages.

Downtown became a ghost town because upright citizens were scared of humans that slept on park benches. Politicians at City Hall voted to revitalize downtown because they did not want all that infrastructure to go to waste. City Hall also joined buildings with sky walks and heated them in winter. Developers advertised the joy of owning a downtown condo.

For a while it looked as if downtown revitalization was going to take off. Some shopping malls even attracted big fitness centers. The idea was three-pronged: wake up in your condo, walk to work and play in the evening within the same complex.

That controlled environment is attractive because we’re all chasing that elusive peace of mind. Condo owners don’t have it outside the controlled space. They cannot take a walk through downtown because they don’t want to be confronted with begging hands or people sleeping in bus shelters.

It’s an ugly sight and they don’t want to deal with it, so they sell the condo and move uptown, where boys play baseball and kids feed ducks in ponds made by City Hall. That is more pleasing to the eye.

Depending on your city, who will save downtown?

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.