Just think of this. Now we have a nice park (Princes Island Park) downtown. You are a tourist, you see the park for 30 minutes and leave the city to Banff. Now add the new iconic bridge, and the riverwalk and the new river park (created once the weir is removed), which are all in various stages of development. Once all of this is in place, there is more to see, people from out of town will stay longer, spend more money on hotels, resturants, movies etc...
Furthermore it might intice more people who don't normally go downtown to go downtown. With more people in the core that means more eyes on the street and the crooks will start to go away. Helping ease, albeit not elimenating the negitive image downtown has.
Another example, an iconic bridge would serve as a great backdrop to wedding pictures...maybe I am getting off track here.
I ask the naysayers here, how much have you travelled before, how often do you get to play tourist? Nationally or International? What do you go see when you land in a foreign city you have no clue about? The icons of the city of course...the sense of discovery (of a completly new place) you find on the way to the icons is what truley puts a mark on a city.
No bridge and you only have a crappy Eau Claire Market to gander at. Yes it is expansive but well worth it. Kudos to the city for this approval.
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