In the 1970s, many people said that suburbanization would spell the end of Canada’s downtowns.
But that didn’t happen. In cities big and small, business leaders rolled up their sleeves and went to work. “Downtown revitalization” was their rallying cry. The bright, upscale shopping mall was one of the big initiatives that kept Canadians commuting downtown through the 1980s and beyond.
But in 2025 there is a darker cloud hanging over Canada’s downtowns. It is so worrisome that the suburbanization threat of over 40 years ago looks rather tame.
