People need people – and shops, within walking distance
Excerpt of a guest column written by Cythnia Lulham for the Westmount Independent, the December 5, 2023 edition.
Having a viable, vibrant commercial area in a city is essential to the success of the community. “Why?” you may ask. Not only do these commercial areas offer services and products that are needed by the residents but they can also create a space for much needed social interaction and community connecting. Local resident Susan Pinker’s book The Village Effect offers valuable insight into the human need for social interface opportunities and the value of those experiences. “Face-to-face contact can make us health ier, happier and smarter!” I know this was true for my late elderly aunt. Her daily walk included a visit to a local café where she had a coffee, chatted with the same waitress every day (who knew her by name) and interacted with many of the other regular patrons.
Westmount’s 15-minute city
These places and opportunities can do much to alleviate social isolation for many people. Westmount’s two public squares were intentionally built in the two commercial areas to create spaces for the community to come together, meet and interact. The addition of street-seating spaces and new furniture have increased this capacity.
For residents living in lower Westmount, our two commercial areas offer the benefits of the “15-minute city.” The 15-minute city is an urban planning concept in which most daily necessities and services, such as work, shopping, education, healthcare, and leisure can be easily reached by a 15-minute walk, bike ride or public transit trip from any point in the city. There are again many health benefits from being walkable and reducing car dependency. But also the financial benefits of supporting neighbourhood businesses, restaurants and shops by encouraging residents to shop local.
For the last decade, we have had a large turnover of shops and many vacant storefronts in both Victoria village and Quartier Greene. The area east of Wood on the south side of St. Catherine is an urban blight and as a key entry point into Westmount certainly doesn’t reflect our community.
The revitalization of the southeast under the new Special Planning Program (SPP) by the city of Westmount is a welcome initiative that will bring all stakeholders together through in-depth public consultations towards creating a redevelopment plan for this area that includes economic development of the retail areas.
The Westmount city council has invest ed time and funds towards building strong merchant associations over the past five years.
Much of this work took place before and during COVID. But having the foundations of legal non-profit entities, social media branding in place, along with funding for events, allowed for a smoother relaunch this year.
Merchant associations have grown
The Westmount merchant association; – Victoria Village and Quartier Greene – welcomed many new members this year and will continue to build their memberships in 2024. It is interesting that almost all independent shops joined while most chain stores declined, including Metro and 5 Saisons.
There is a lack of understanding of the community benefit that we will strive to overcome in 2024. Activities in 2023 included two festivals each, along with music and activities in the public squares as well as a greatly increased social media presence.
For the Quartier Greene area, these were the first festivals in decades! In 2024 we plan to add events for restaurants and fashion shops. Initial contacts with building owners have been very positive and we plan to build on this important initiative in 2024.
The collaboration and support of the city of Westmount is important and ap preciated but we also need support from the community – you, our residents! Our merchants are so dedicated and work long hours! The holiday shopping season is key to their annual sales, success and continued operation. Please support our merchants and businesses by remembering to always shop local for your holiday gift giving and needed services. Thank you!
Cynthia Lulham is the general manager of Westmount’s two merchant associations, and a former city councillor.