The only thing not exactly right about this article is the snotty prairie dog-style headline, which is too harsh for what is actually a really positively-written article on our chaotic but headed-in-the-right-direction downtown. Check out this passage:
Downtown Regina is a great area, filled with interesting places to go and things to do. After years of little change, efforts are being made to make it even better.
Surely you’ve heard of city hall’s City Square project -the one everyone’s complaining about?
Last week, Viva Optical, Novia Cafe and Globe Theatre all blamed the project for downturns in business.
The owners have said customers are scared to go downtown. They don’t know which streets are two-way, nor where they can park.
But perhaps it’s a lack of patience and a fear of change that is preventing people from embracing growth that will benefit everyone in the long term.
Construction inconveniences are common -and not newsworthy -in other places. Downtowns of bigger centres change so often that residents expect to deal with new surroundings.
We’re not used to that here. But the complaints about the changes seem underlined by a sense that we’re entitled to have things stay the way they always were.
Businesses and residents have to adapt as the city changes around them. As with all construction projects, there is short-term pain for long-term gain.
We’re learning that here, though slowly, it seems. People want the city to improve, but they don’t want improvements to force them to change, even if just temporarily.
Perhaps a little heavy on the one-sentence paragraphs but otherwise, right on Mr. Couture.
