For those of you involved in preserving, rebuilding or rethinking your downtowns, you may be interested in being updated on what is happening in downtown Brantford.
For decades the downtown core has been debated and studied. Varying developments have been proposed, some realized, yet the core has, probably forever, lost the designation as the city’s commercial hub. The most successful redevelopment has been in remaking the core into a centre for knowledge based industry, beginning in 1999 when Wilfrid Laurier University came to town.
The City of Brantford is taking a bold leap of faith in the rethinking of the core, and has expropriated and is readying for demolition 41 properties – three blocks, of the south side of downtown Colborne Street.
For those interested, I included various links to discussions concerning this major development in the course of Brantford’s downtown history. You can find them in the article South Side Stories, found at my blog, www.theculturesource.blogspot.com RD