89 results found
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3 votes
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Facade Restoration
Encourage facade restoration in the core. This does not have to be expensive in all cases. Think Collingwood, Hudson, MI., or Pipestone, MN.
6 votes -
Connective Structure from Market to Forks via JLC & Middlesex County Courthouse
Sadly, the beautiful old Middlesex County Courthouse building faces the non-descript backside (and parking lot) of the JLC, and is thereby cut off from the market. I have a vision of a tiered parking facility hidden by an outdoor theatre (for plays etc), the theatre sloping down /fronting onto the old MCCHB as a theatre backdrop, wonderfully lit up for evening plays in the Summer. From the highest level of the said parking garage would be a wonderful urban garden / walkway that gracefully winds its way along JLC's current parking lots and downslopes down to the Covent Garden Market…
3 votes -
Clean it up
More police presence, especially bicycle cops. Get rid of panhandlers and people sleeping downtown. Crack down on rowdy after-bar drunks. Stop aggressive parking enforcement. Allow parking validation by merchants. Create affordable seniors and student housing, the criteria for which must be met. Refurbish historic structures (and stop tearing them down), and set up controls to make sure new architectural designs are aesthetically pleasing (unlike the ugly call centre that replaced the old Eaton building, or the new VIA station).
6 votes -
Signature Building Straddling The Thames
A wonderfully graceful City Hall that spans the Thames where the current Dundas Street bridge does so. This would be designed by the winning bid in a design competition open to world architects, and would facilitate not just a building span, but a roadway still, observation levels, road level shops/boutiques and coffee shops etc. My inspirations (for the multi-use aspect) are Bath England's Pulteney Bridge, Venice's Rialto Bridge and Florence's Ponte Vecchio, but ours would be a sleek, modern version finally uniting us with the Forks - our past, our future.
1 vote -
Painted lines outlining parking spots in master meter areas.
With the new master meters areas on Dundas St., parking areas that used to fit 6 cars parked within the painted lines now only fit 4 cars as many drivers leave too much space. That means 1/3 less space to park and 1/3 less revenueThe machines often run out of paper and appear un-maintained remaining out of service for days at a time.
1 vote -
Restaurants and shops are good, and more of them would help, but downtown needs a grocery store!
We need somewhere that supports an everyday, downtown lifestyle. Eating at retaurants and shopping at expensive boutiques is an occassional treat, not an everyday way of life. Grocery stores, hardware stores, lcbo, dollars stores etc are required so downtowners can truly live the downtown lifestyle- ie to live within walking distance to every amenity required to sustain life in the core. If you bring these amenities, more people and families will move back to the core and revitalize it.
10 votes -
London's First Friday
Other cities have had success with this idea (see Sarnia). All downtown businesses stay open late, the first Friday of the month. This could include, but not be limited to, shops, Covent Garden Market, galleries, library, skating rink (in winter), double-decker bus rides (in summer). LTC buses downtown-bound could offer free rides between the hours of 6-9 p.m. There could be family events held at Victoria Park, or just stations or booths set up by organizations/businesses not located in the core. Musical entertainment at the bandshell, or ask school choirs/bands to perform during the school year. This may bring new…
11 votes -
forcing the landlord/s to do a good cleanup
Downtown is filthy. Windows are dirty and stores aren't clean. The sidewalks are covered with butts, dirt, and spit. Drive thru almost any small town in the area - take Exeter for an example - and they are clean and inviting. There are really nice hanging baskets that make it welcoming. London looks like a dogs breakfast compared to them. We used to have a man who was uptown every weekday keeping the sidewalks clean of trash and now we have a machine with spinning brushes that don't touch the ground when it's going by. We're a mess.
21 votes -
Arts center, including concert hall.
Create an arts center, including a concert hall, as an entertainment hub for Southern Ontario. Make it a downtown destination.
12 votes -
Get rid of the patio at Friday Night Lights
This thing is ridiculous. It takes up 75% of the sidewalk, and makes walking on it almost a hazard because you're so close to the very busy road.
I thought that with Decicco no longer being mayor, it wouldn't be able to go up anymore, or at least not be nearly as large as it has been in the past.
Seriously, how is this thing allowed to be up?
Only in London folks....
36 votes -
Focus on high density pedestrian & Transit orientated development
London has a major issue with sprawl. It's a pain to walk or bus anywhere, thats not in the immediate core. Vancouver is consistently ranked one of the most liveable places in the world, due to its extreme high density & amazing transit.
London needs to stop catering to only one demographic & focus on retaining its young work force.32 votes -
Change the name of the Thames river to its origional name "Askunessippi" or Antlered river
London is not going to be London England EVER! So why are we trying to further copy their identity. We should keep in line with our history & revert to our original name. London needs to focus on creating a unique identity
(I'm thinking arts, especially with Fanshawe's new downtown arts campus.)
21 votes -
A train? Downtown? At rush hour? Welcome to London!
Every city has its good and bad points. And while the bad points should always be improved, there is no reason why they can't also be embraced as part of a unique identity.
For example, rush hour downtown trains - an absurdity, but also a reality.
Since it would be far too expensive (and unsightly) to raise the tracks or dig underpasses, why not install video-billboards at the train crossings instead? News headlines, weather, sports scores and upcoming London festivals and events - every 15 minutes, updated twice daily. That way, at least the people waiting for the train to…
6 votes -
Clean up our rivers, and USE them. A boat ride to Springbank from the forks once more would be nice.
It is time to clean up our river and look at it as something that we can enjoy instead of run away from. If we could get people to come out and take rides on our rivers...we'd have something once again.
31 votes -
Take out the driving in the core (walking mall in it's place.
It is time to get the cars and busses out of the core. Go up queens and down King, it would ease congestion and provide a nice outdoor space for all who come to the core.
20 votes -
how about...
This city stops focusing on students and instead on families. Jobs for people everyday people...this city is in the top 10 for the highest unemployment rate in Canada!! No one can afford to go spend their money because they have no job or no job security or make minimum wage. Maybe if this city stopped being a college/university city just living from September to May off students' parents money the city would prosper more.
25 votes -
LFP: Stop Focusing on Grocery Store!
Hey London Free Press, you need to stop focusing on a grocery store for downtown. Writing article after article on the need for a grocery store will have zero influence on an actual chain coming to set up shop downtown. Grocery store chains are savvy, competitive businesses. They are all about making money. When they think there is a penny to be made from opening downtown, they will. You need to focus your attention on things our civic politicians can change - not the things they can't. How about an article on what a great public square looks like, light…
10 votes -
Have businesses stay open longer on weekends
Lets have later shopping hours!
15 votes -
Have businesses stay open longer on weekends
Lets have later shopping hours!
10 votes
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