Big Plans for Small Places: Downtown Revitalization on Main Street

The Heritage Canadian Foundation (HCF) devised a plan to \“halt the decay and destruction of traditional main streets in Canadian towns and cities and set them on a path of recovery.\” The plan was established in 1979 and called \‘Main Street\’. It had become evident that traditional downtowns along with their commercial districts were weakening. HCF believed that \“Main Street is the heart and soul of a community, the physical evidence of a shared social and economic history.\” HCF formulated a pilot program for seven communities in which a coordinator would take on multiple tasks including animator, facilitator, teacher, historian, and manager. The program focused on four key areas: organization, marketing and promotion, economic development, and design. The initial testing of the Main Street program occurred in Perth, Ontario, which had a population of 6000. The downtown, which was built in the mid-19th century, was slowly deteriorating and the architectural heritage was in danger. The \‘Main Street\’ project was able to attract new businesses to the area, fill vacant storefronts, as well as increase its tax base. The people living in and visiting Perth developed a greater appreciation for their community. In 1984 the federal Department of Regional Industrial Expansion contributed $8 million to Main Street Canada, and by 1991 Main Street operated in all provinces and territories. Seventy communities had achieved success through the program creating thousands of new jobs, businesses, and over $90 million in private investment. Despite the programs success, the federal government\’s contribution to Main Street Canada ended in the early 1990\’s. The executive director of HCF at the time believed \“Main Street\’s comprehensive and inclusive approach \– taking social, economic, environmental and cultural perspectives into account \– was one reason the feds lost interest.\” Big Box stores are now generating new challenges by ignoring the downtown core in favor of locations close to new housing developments and highways. There is a clear lack of understanding at the federal government level regarding heritage preservation. \“A series of disincentives drives investment money away from heritage buildings. The building code, tax code and GST rebate programs all mitigate against reuse and favor new construction.\” Revitalizing downtown cores is important for heritage planning. Retaining older buildings gives the community a sense of pride and history. As well, affluent downtown areas create economic growth and improve the quality of life for the people living in the community.