“So goes your downtown, so goes your city.” That’s according to Bob Black, who was the executive director of the Edmonton Arena Corp during the construction of Rogers Place. He was one of three people from the project who spoke at a Saskatoon Chamber event today (Fri). The other guests were Mike Staines, District Manager of PCL Construction Management and Michael Shugarman, Principal Architect of Shugarman Architecture + Design.

Black told the crowd that many cities have found themselves at a crossroad where they have to look at what their sports and entertainment facilities look like and what their future is – whether to renovate or rebuild. The idea behind building downtown is to invigorate the core of the community.

Black understands the concern over traffic and parking and says Edmonton residents had the same concerns, but he explains that there is such a significant amount of available parking in a downtown core that it all works out. The advantage is that everyone is coming from different locations, so when an event is over, everyone isn’t trying to leave from the same exit and it creates an opportunity for event-goers to stop along the way and possibly go for a drink or out for a meal, creating an economic boost. So, along with coming from different parking areas, people will also be heading back to their parking spots at different times.

For those who say, this kind of facility isn’t something I would use, Black says it’s not just about going to a hockey game or a concert. It’s about revitalizing the downtown and boosting the economy. Black suggests that having a vigorous downtown drives capital investment decisions, whether people want to live in the city, and tourism.