greenleaf
Senior Member
well easy for you to say but what will happen when those 55+ are dead or too old to walk in 15 years? Look at the new business in Chinatown. Nothing targets the old immigrants. The old ones are increasingly being replaced. The demographic is changing, of course the business model should too, otherswise they go broke.
Umm....70 year olds being too old to walk? You're hilarious.
What we're discussing is called aging in place in a walkable community and I think it is an ideal situation that the city should aim for. Those old people will keep walking and keep on going to stores in the neighbourhood. They also have community knowledge that is important for continuity of the community. We also know how important walking is to our health. We want to keep old people in the neighbourhood so they can stay physically healthy. At some point they will be too old to drive (if they did at all). Walking keeps them out and about and the social bonds they have with people at the businesses in their neighbourhood will keep them mentally healthy too. It makes for a strong community - everyone is looking out for each other.
I have no doubt that mall will be overhauled at some point, but older buildings in the neighbourhood with (what I presume) affordable commercial rents are what help keep the place vibrant. It is good to have new buildings like Dragon condo (gotta keep this on topic) injected into the neighbourhood because it provides for different retail to help maintain a diverse balance of commercial and residential options. Some businesses need new spaces. That's fine. Some businesses need old spaces for different clientele. That's fine too. They can work together.