A Healthy Downtown Starts with People
By Councillor Cindy Gilroy
There is a lot happening downtown this summer, and I could not be more excited about what it means for Winnipeg’s future.
This week, the City officially launched the Graham Avenue placemaking pilot (https://www.winnipeg.ca/reimagininggraham). It is more than a project; it is a statement. A healthy downtown starts with people, people living, working, walking, cycling, sitting, chatting, relaxing, and playing. This pilot is about creating a downtown where people feel welcome and connected.
Reimagining Graham Avenue means transforming it from a car-dominated corridor into a destination that is vibrant, green, and walkable. With buses moving to the new Primary Transit Network (https://engage.winnipeg.ca/transitnetwork), starting June 29, four blocks of Graham are opening up to something new: community.
The pilot includes features you will be able to enjoy right away, street furniture designed by N/A Architecture (https://www.naarch.studio/) and built by Tec-Voc High School (https://www.winnipegsd.ca/tecvoc/page/8326/our-school), art installations by Storefront Manitoba (https://www.storefrontmb.ca/), landscaping support from Ron Paul Greenhouses (https://www.ronpaulgreenhouses.com/), and street murals from Cool Streets Winnipeg (https://www.storefrontmb.ca/cool-streets-winnipeg). From ping pong tables to picnic spots, it is about creating space where people want to be.
I have always said that successful cities are ones where people can live, work, and play, together. That is how we build strong, healthy neighbourhoods. And this pilot is another step in making that a reality for our downtown.
It is part of a bigger picture, too, connected to Centre Plan 2050 (https://engage.winnipeg.ca/centreplan2050), the reopening of Portage and Main (https://winnipeg.ca/cao/media/news/nr_2024/nr_20240425.stm), the shift to our new transit network, and renewed investment in residential and commercial projects downtown.
This is how we keep people downtown, not just passing through, but staying, enjoying, and feeling like it belongs to them.
I want to thank all the incredible community partners involved. from students to local artists to organizations like Downtown Winnipeg BIZ (https://downtownwinnipegbiz.com/) and Centre Venture (https://centreventure.com/). This is what collaboration looks like, and it is only the beginning.
I encourage you to come down, take a walk, and experience it for yourself. Let us reimagine what our downtown can be, together.
Cindy
City Councillor, Daniel McIntyre
https://www.cindygilroy.ca
