I think there's a variety of experiences Downtown for those who live, work or visit. I would agree with almost all points here -- sometimes its great, other times it's not so great. Living Downtown I would say should not have to be such a struggle that it is. So many wonderful people are doing their best to address issues, but there are some very systemic 'core' problems with how we deal with things Downtown that are no longer acceptable if we want a safe, vibrant, healthy place to grow the economy, encourage people to live, and attract tourists. It's a very complex set of circumstances we find ourselves in, mostly due to lack of workers Downtown and pandemic exacerbated homelessness and addiction issues. The level of crime and vandalism is out of control and under reported. Downtown does not get the level of police service it needs (Chief McFee begrudgingly admitted as much in a public hearing). Direction on these matters and the tone set all comes from City Council, none of which live or spend a lot of time Downtown. Keeping 102 Avenue closed, for example, narrowly passed by 1 vote and until the LRT is up and running I would not encourage anyone to walk down that street alone. This has all be said before, but the constant theft, vandalism and disorder does wear down on some more than other. I'm super happy to have the festivals back, see people enjoying even take ownership and pride in their Downtown. Downtown is also very dense and but small for the size of the city, there aren't enough people living or working here. But as a resident is is wearing, frustrating, discouraging at times and I am one to try to understand the issues and help solve them but even I am feeling a bit burned out by it all. (I feel I can share that with you all here as you all care about Edmonton and Downtown and that's why you're on the forum, even if we disagree at times on the issues.)
