Abstract The paper uses the cities of Guelph and Vermont to show how communities can combat the phenomenon of dying downtowns. The paper illustrates how cities must focus on a sustainable economic development strategy and must have a commitment from all sectors of the community with the city council. The paper also looks at Mexico as an example of the negative effects of a Mexican version of Wal-Mart on downtown.
Outline:
Introduction
Downtown Death Delayed By Design
Power of the People
Vermont Vs Big Box Construction
Mexico's Malingering Big Box
Londerville-A Synthesis of the Research
Summit Report-Waterloo-Guelph
Summary and Conclusion
From the Paper "In all cities and towns all over both the United States and Canada something is dying, or perhaps already dead and that something is downtown and cultural heritage being replaced by something generic and that comes in a big box - that something is 'Wal-Mart'. While Wal-Mart has brought lower prices to these communities, Wal-Mart has also brought decay, decline, and crime. These lower prices have come with a high price tag to communities and society as this work in writing intends to show."
Abstract This paper analyzes an existing retail business, MINI Downtown, a car dealership located in downtown Toronto. The analysis includes an environmental scan, trends analysis of the product as well as the neighbourhood. It also presents a foot traffic study, in addition to an internal analysis of product, showroom and a statistics are provided on the trading area.
From the Paper "INTRODUCTION The MINI Cooper is a redesign of a classic British car the Mini Cooper, still being built in Oxford, England (mini.ca). The company was purchase by BMW and the car redesigned and updated in 2001 to fit with those who demand quality but are also living with the realities of smaller living spaces and rising cost of fuel. It is positioned as a small, but fast and fun car sporty car with high quality finishing and design details."
This paper discuses that the proposed investment in Class A office space in the Philadelphia downtown core (CBD) is strongly not recommended at this time.
Abstract This paper explains that, while vacancy rates at rental rates in the Philadelphia downtown core (CBD) have remained relatively stable in the last two years, there is little solid evidence of economic growth in the future. The author points out that the creation of any new downtown office building must take into account the potential impact of the current plans for the addition of the Cira Centre and One Pennsylvania Place Philadelphia downtown core (CBD), slated to be built in the city's Keystone Opportunity Improvement Zones (KOIZ), site-specific designations that offer the owners and occupants significant relief from a number of state and local taxes. The paper relates that the proposed building has one large advantage over many other current Class A buildings because it offers Class A rental rates at a relatively low rate compared to the average rental rate for the CBD.
From the Paper "The office market in the Philadelphia central business district (CBD) is currently experiencing a downturn. Since 1990, nearly 2,100 people per year have left the downtown. There is little evidence to suggest that this downturn will be reversed in the near future. Overall, Philadelphia enjoys a healthy economy, with a March 2004 unemployment rate of 5.5%, and a civilian labor force of 2,488,500 individuals. The average rental rate for the CBD from the first quarter of 2002 to the first quarter of 2004 has remained steady, hovering close to $24 per square foot. The vacancy rate for the CBD has also remained relatively steady at close to 14 percent.
Abstract The literature on the subject is vast and ranges from such major studies like Rosentraub's Major League Losers to numerous short journal articles. The overwhelming consensus in the literature is that policies directed at funneling public money into sports stadiums do not reap the benefits needed or hoped for by the cities. However, this paper argues that these articles and studies are misdirecting the failure to achieve benefits and have not truly determined the successes from publicly-funded sports stadiums. All of the studies have failed to recognize the shortcomings that the cities, not the policy, possessed. This paper answers the following question: in favorable economic, political, social, and structural conditions, can a publicly-funded sports stadium reap benefits for a city? In short, in the best of circumstances, can incentives for sports stadiums pay off? In answering this question, this paper presents a quick review of the literature on the subject recognizing the faults and shortcomings and analyzes the city of Denver, Colorado, in relation to its experience with Coors Field. The paper argues that, in the favorable conditions of Denver and the smart policy choices made by local officials, Coors Field proved a useful tool for revitalizing an area of downtown, facilitated the creation of new businesses, and spurred the development of housing in downtown. The sports stadium is a successful policy if it brings tens of thousands of people to the area for game day. To capture the benefits takes smart policy makers within the cities in question. The paper includes maps and tables.
From the Paper "Unlike many cities, the city of Denver seeks to invest in all communities to make them the best and most diverse that they can be. This crime rate decrease and community investment has set the necessary backdrop for capturing economic benefits from people visiting downtown. Since they feel safe, they are much more likely to want to visit local establishments and spend money, thus creating an economic benefit for Denver. This is the most fundamental core policy and achievement that many American cities are failing at. When other cities publicly funded sports stadiums are being analyzed, this particular factor is nonexistent. The crime rate surrounding a stadium is paramount to what level of interactions game attendees will have in the area before and after the game and any study that fails to recognize this, fails to achieve any tangible results from their analysis."
Abstract This paper explains that Big Dig, a state-of-the-art eight-to-ten-lane expressway, for the most part underground or underwater, will run through downtown Boston and the Ted Williams Tunnel to Logan Airport. The paper reviews three areas of environmental concern: The digging and dumping of the dirt, mitigation and air quality. The author points out that the mitigation aspect of the project protects the city from devastating noise disruption, dust, traffic gridlock and economic damage.
From the Paper "There are other benefits as well. According to Daniel Wood of Public Roads Magazine, the Big Dig will be "good news for the local shellfish population because of the construction of an artificial reef in Boston Harbor" (Public Roads). The reef, created in collaboration with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is designed to compensate for filling in over one acre of blue mussel habitat in the harbor during the closing and capping of the former municipal landfill on Spectacle Island. Wood also says that, "As the northernmost artificial reef system in the United States, the complex is expected to become home to lobsters, crabs, and finfish, as well as the displaced blue mussels" "
Abstract This paper will consider the relation between the British Columbia public transit service's new "Stop Request" program, in relation to the transportation needs of Vancouver's Downtown East Side residents. This paper will examine these issues with Beauregard's (1989) modernist/postmodernist perspective; and the usefulness of Young's (YEAR) discussion of the five faces of oppression, as a way to more specifically characterize the people of East Side Vancouver in relation to their marginal location in the city and in the society and their relation with issues of "safety".
Abstract This essay examines the Santa Claus Parade that took place in downtown Toronto on November 20, 2005. The paper describes the parade itself in detail and evaluates the event in the light of pop culture and our society today. Parades are popular cultural manifestations in North America. Almost every city has a parade at some point. Some parades are patriotic and evoke town pride and community spirits. Others celebrate dates in history and important holidays. Others like the gay parade are also political in nature. The Santa Claus parades are annual events that take place in many cities.
Abstract This paper compares Japanese author Hayashi Fumiko's story "Downtown" and Korean author Kim Yisosk's story "The Cuckoo", unique stories which feature characters who find themselves as refugees close to their homelands because of conflict and the inevitable isolation and alienation these events bring. The paper maintains that personal accounts such as these offer a more effective way to illustrate the impact of conflict and occupation on a society, than simply referring to numbers of casualties or figures relating to economic damage. The paper concludes that, in both stories, the situation brings about a transformation in the characters' attitudes and actions, causing them to become stronger and more resilient.
From the Paper "At the core of this resiliency is compassion. Ryo's acceptance of her role as a single mother demonstrates very clearly her compassion and devotion to her son. Dower notes that, in the wake of Japan's devastation, orphans and homeless children (about 4,000) were labeled as "improper," and begging children were common in streets across the country. Ryo's simple dedication to moving forward and rebuilding her life in order to raise her son in a nurturing household shows that those who are isolated together tend to stay together and emerge with stronger ties than those who have not been isolated from their previous standards of living."
Abstract In this article, the writer provides a comparison and contrast of two distinct Toronto electoral districts; one in the downtown core that has served as a traditional immigration reception area, and one in the suburbs. The writer points out that their social compositions is important for what it reveals the changing ethnic demographics of Canadian society. The writer looks at how these changes are shaping the urban landscape of the major cities. This essay argues that a comparative analysis of these two districts reveals the suburbanization of immigration in Canada, as now established immigrants seek to migrate internally within the city from the downtown to the suburbs. The writer maintains that this intra-migration is complemented by direct settlement of new immigrants from abroad into Toronto's suburbs, effectively bypassing neighbourhoods such as the famous Kensington Market that were defined by successive waves of immigration for much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Outline:
Introduction
Social Composition: A Comparative Analysis of the Numbers
Ethnic Groups and Visible Minorities in the Landscape
Commentary
From the Paper "Thus, it may be argued that many of the visible signs of immigrant presence in this area are remnants of past settlement, and that the former immigrant settlers in this district have moved elsewhere in Toronto. Indeed, the fact that the Italian population in York West is more than double that of "Little Italy" suggests that many former Italian immigrants and/or their children may have moved from the downtown to the suburbs. In contrast to "Little Italy" which seems to be a "shell" of its former self, the Chinatown neighbourhood of Trinity-Spadina reveals how dominant this one ethnic group is in the visible landscape of the district; a visual dominance that reflects its 52.2 percent of the district's visible minority population."
Abstract This paper focuses on homelessness and poverty in the east side of downtown Vancouver, which comprises the poorest postal code in Canada, and suggests ways to combat these problems. The paper states that the area is renowned for drug addiction, homelessness and prostitution, and is also the home of the highest HIV infection concentration in North America. The paper adds that despite such poverty, crime and disease, the east side of downtown continues to grow in size and population. To conclude, the paper suggests that increasing low-cost housing is a possible solution, which will require that the government inject a large sum of money into the project.
Outline:
Problem
Background
Alternative Courses of Action
Recommended Course of Action
From the Paper "Another problem involves the trickiness of the welfare program and difficulty in obtaining eligibility. In 2001, it was found that 15% of the street homeless were not on welfare. By early 2004, this number increased to 50%; shockingly, the number rose to 75% by summer 2004 (City of Vancouver, cited in Raisetherates.org). If Vancouver's street population were eligible for welfare, at least they would have a chance of using money to pay for rent and move indoors. However, eligibility for welfare has been tightened and many who were once eligible for welfare no longer are."
Abstract This paper presents a business plan that reflects a proposition to build and operate a multi-use commercial/retail/residential center in downtown Seoul.
From the Paper "As the South Korean economy, including its real estate market, returns to and exceeds pre-1997 values, both domestic and international investors are becoming aware of the emergence of the asset liquidation market as a means to establish profitable business opportunity."
Tags: seoul, skyscraper, e-business, e-commerce, Asia
Abstract This paper studies the events that caused the Great Depression and considers whether there could ever be another similar economic downtown by using both the lessons of history and aggregate supply/aggregate demand analysis.
From the Paper "The Great Depression, which began in 1929, was an economic slump in North America, Europe, and other industrialized areas of the world that began in 1929 and lasted until about 1939. It was the longest and most severe depression ever experienced by the industrialized Western world (Rothbard 13). Though the U.S. economy had gone into depression six months earlier, the Great Depression may be said to have begun with a catastrophic collapse of stock-market prices on the New York Stock Exchange in October 1929 (Rothbard 17). During the next three years stock prices in the United States continued to fall, until by late 1932 they had dropped to only about 20 percent of their value in 1929 (Bernanke 37).
Besides ruining many thousands of investors, this precipitous decline in the value of assets greatly strained banks and financial institutions, particularly those holding stocks in their portfolios. Many banks were consequently forced into insolvency and by 1933, 11,000 of the United States' 25,000 banks had failed. (Bernanke 41). The failure of so many banks, combined with a general and nationwide loss of confidence in the economy, led to much-reduced levels of spending and demand and hence of production, thus aggravating the downward spiral. The result was drastically falling output and drastically rising unemployment; by 1932, U.S. manufacturing output had fallen to 54 percent of its 1929 level, and unemployment had risen to between 12 and 15 million workers, or 25-30 percent of the work force (Bernanke 42). "
A history and architectural analysis, site evaluation, preservation, downtown renewal projects, regulations, focusing on itsrebuilding after the 1986 fires.
3,825 words (approx. 15.3 pages), 10 sources, 1999, $ 135.95
From the Paper "The Los Angeles Central Library consists of a nearly-destroyed building that was elaborately rehabilitated and its expansive addition. The choice to rehabilitate was made on the grounds that it was an historic building worthy of preservation. The building was held to have symbolic importance, to make a vital aesthetic contribution, and to provide badly needed public space to the heavily developed downtown area. The facility was expanded with an eight-story wing that houses the great majority of the library's public functions. The attempt to replicate most practical and decorative features of the public spaces in the old building has produced a very large landmark that also serves a valuable public function.
The Los Angeles Public Library system's Central Library building is located in downtown Los Angeles on a large two-block ..."
Discussion of the origins of the Chicano gangs, the reasons behind their development and the public perception they created of second generation Mexican immigrants.
2,150 words (approx. 8.6 pages), 5 sources, 2002, $ 80.95
Abstract The culture and language of Mexican immigrants labeled them as outsiders by the dominant society. Most of the new arrivals respected the boundaries that existed, but the second generation found them hard to abide. Attracted by the downtown shopping districts, beaches, and glamour of Hollywood, many of the members of the second generation broke the unwritten rules that forbade their presence in these places. This pachuco generation attracted the negative attention of the Anglo-American population. 9 pgs. bibliography lists 5 sources.
Abstract This paper looks at the history of spas, provides examples of the different types of downtown fitness and health clubs, covers the different programs at health a fitness resorts, outlines the types of therapy available, explains spa terminology and the different types of spa treatments. Selected fitness resorts/spas in Ontario, Canada, California, Florida and the Caribbean are described. Particular health clubs in Toronto are also discussed in terms of their history, location, and economic and social impact on the community. The future of the spas, fitness and health resorts and clubs in Canada and abroad is then addressed.
