Zoe Hagen MA Thesis - Creating Demand for a Downtown Lifestyle in Saskatoon - April 2025
Date
2025-04-25
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Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
Based in a conceptual foundation of urban planning, place, and consumer behaviour, this thesis introduces crucial components of downtown revitalization in midsized cities, which is a strategy used to increase the viability and vitality of downtowns. Crucial components of downtown revitalization include improvements to branding, public realm, economic development, and property development to enhance overall liveability. These elements are experienced physically and cognitively by diverse residents with different housing, employment, and recreational needs. Consumer behaviour, preferences, and expectations for urban real estate should guide revitalization strategies to ensure planning and market objectives are achieved. The purpose of this thesis is to learn how to make downtown a desirable place to live through planning and development by identifying local interest and perspectives on downtown living in Saskatoon. A sequential explanatory mixed methods approach incorporates a survey questionnaire and focus group discussions to determine the lifestyle amenities required for a liveable and desirable Downtown Saskatoon.
Research participants indicated that desirable downtown neighbourhoods offer high-quality urban lifestyle amenities. In Saskatoon, being part of a dynamic community with diverse housing options and land uses near parks and natural areas makes downtown living appealing. Branding promotes these attributes to target consumer segments by establishing a vibrant and cohesive downtown community. Public realm improvements use design and programming to foster community identity and sense of belonging among users. Economic development initiatives attract and retain a variety of businesses and services to make downtown a destination for living, work, and leisure. Property development enhances downtown liveability by adapting the built form to meet the needs and preferences of consumers and providing spaces to connect and build community. While these components contribute to a successful downtown, a substantial downtown residential population is needed to cultivate a vibrant downtown community. As such, inducing demand for downtown residential development is key to stimulating downtown revitalization in Saskatoon. This demand may be accomplished by implementing the expected lifestyle amenities of target downtown residential consumer segments through downtown planning, development, and investment. These findings facilitate evidence-based decision-making and reveal a competitive advantage of Downtown Saskatoon.
Description
Keywords
downtown, mid-size city, residential, revitalization
Citation
Degree
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Department
Geography and Planning
Program
Geography