Address safety. I always advise my tenants to be cautious after hours downtown. Other areas of the city need to carry their weight when it comes to community support services and a smaller, decentralized support network should be laid out.
Address affordability. Rent rates are pretty high downtown considering businesses have suburban options. Our mass transit options, amenities, and general overall prestige do not justify being non-competitive on pricing vs. the suburbs
Address amenities. You want an attractive downtown? It's gonna take time. The city has made great strides here with expanding the Winspear, The RAM, ice district, the upcoming downtown park, etc. Amenity rich downtowns only come with time, and we must not stop developing things like parks, bowling alleys, aquariums, museums, concert venues, etc.
Address accessibility. Face it, we are automobile-centric prairie city with a downtown that competes with places such as WEM, South Edmonton Common, and Currents for "nights out on the town". Every person I know who used to come down to the core for hockey nights at OTR no longer do ever since the new parking restrictions came into effect. They are convoluted, confusing, and people do not feel like being penalized with a ticket for taking a cab home when they've been drinking. Free street "24 hour limit" street parking would be revolutionary for a downtown core with downtown residents being issued parking passes for longer term parking. This would make renting units such as mine much more attractive, with tenants being able to sublet a room to students without concern or consequences of having a second vehicle. Think of the potential that would have in creating population density - especially in a time where people are huddling to save money.
