Saving the Downtown Core

Many large cities are experiencing the same problem...how to convince people to live and shop in the downtown core. It's true the large old buildings there were once majestic and filled with thriving businesses but should they be saved now that they're crumbling and so few want to use them?

The downtown core of my city has deteriorated to the point where it isn't even safe to go there after dark. Even in the daytime there are panhandlers and street people to avoid. Government buildings take up a lot of space there but they,too, empty at night. Going into those same government buildings during the day can also be hazardous because many of the street people use some of the services and it's scary to get into a closed elevator with someone who looks slightly insane.

The reality is that the street people are so prevalent in the downtown they scare the rest of us away. This is why we prefer to live and shop in the suburbs. Call me elitist but I simply don't want to come in close contact with people like that.

I believe my city should put their efforts into beautifying the downtown core and encouraging more office buildings there instead of trying to make it into a state of the art neighborhood for the average citizen. It probably isn't going to happen. There will always be street people and they will congregate in the most easily accessible area. They need their center, too, and the downtown core is it.