Memo #4: Types of Main Streets Across Canada
What is a Main Street?
Main streets are concentrations of commercial activity along a street or in a district, that include a variety of small and independently-owned businesses.
They are social gathering places with community amenities, cultural institutions and public spaces, such as libraries, theatres, faith institutions, community centres, schools, post-secondary institutions, parks, squares and laneways.
Main streets are usually close to residences that are located above the main street retail and in bordering neighbourhoods.
Types of Main Streets
Main streets exist in cities and towns across Canada – from large urban centres (above 500,000 people), to mid-sized cities (50,000 to 500,000 people) to smaller cities and towns (less than 50,000 people).
Most cities have several main streets, including the ones in the downtown and those that serve the surrounding neighbourhoods. While in small towns, one main street usually serves as the economic and cultural centre for the entire community.
Main streets come in many shapes and sizes, depending on whether they are new or old, urban or suburban, in a big city or small town; but they all provide lively places for people to shop, recreate and socialize. Another common feature across main streets, is that they are primarily influenced by decentralized decision-making, as oppose to curation and central property management typical of shopping centres.
Business District Main Streets
These main streets are usually located in a downtown or other secondary business district. They may include office buildings and have a higher density of commercial activity compared to other main streets. Business district main streets may be historic centres, provide higher education, health and social services, and other amenities. They are often tourist destinations and locations for large gatherings, events and cultural activity. Some have a larger proportion of chain stores and be less reliant on the local residential population.
Ste. Catherine Street, Montreal, QC
Ste. Catherine Street is Montreal 's renowned commercial thoroughfare. Stretching for 15 kilometers across the city from east to west, the street is lined with major department stores, shops, restaurants and offices. Pre-COVID, the street was busier than ever with new commercial and residential developments being added.
Image: Archives de la Ville de Montréal
Downtown, Lethbridge, AB
The downtown is the commercial centre of Lethbridge, a city of 95,000 in southern Alberta. It contains a diversity of local businesses and professional services and is usually the place for community and cultural events. The city’s library, museum, art galleries and movie cinemas are located downtown.
Image: Hectiktravels
Neighbourhood Main Streets
These main streets are usually located outside of the central business district. They have lower densities and are more integrated with the surrounding residential areas. Neighbourhood main streets may be located at street-level along arterial roads, often with transit; or in some neighbourhoods they may look more like shopping plazas and strip malls. Neighbourhood main streets often have smaller-scale cultural and community amenities, and act as gathering places for local events and festivals, farmers markets and the like.
West 4th, Vancouver, BC
West 4th Avenue is the main destination for shopping and services in the Kitsilano neighbourhood in Vancouver. It includes 8 blocks of shops, restaurants, and local services like medical offices, dog groomers and repair shops. There are many residences along the street and in the surrounding neighbourhood, including a growing number of new condos.
Image: residencity.ca
Broadway Avenue, Saskatoon, SK
Broadway Ave is a five block district just outside of downtown Saskatoon. It acts as the main street for the Nutana community. Its many restaurants and bars, boutique shops, local businesses, and annual street festivals, have made it a shopping and cultural destination for Saskatoon.
Image: highpointsaskatoon.ca
Eglinton Ave E, Toronto, ON
The strip malls along Eglinton Avenue East in Toronto are set back from six lanes of traffic and straddle both sides of the street. They feature a mix of mostly independent shops and services, from hair salons to florists, to specialty food stores and ethnic restaurants.
Image: discourse.ca
Small Town Main Streets
Small town main streets act as shopping districts and gathering places for the entire community. They often have unique heritage qualities and play an important role in defining the identity of the town. Some small town main streets also act as tourist destinations.
Downtown Port Hope, ON
Port Hope is a quaint small town an hour outside of Toronto. The downtown contains a variety of (non-chain) cafes, restaurants and personal services, as well as some professional offices. There are an number of high-quality heritage buildings, and civic and cultural uses, including the Town Hall, library, theatre and museum.
Image: northumberlandnews.com
Water Street, St. Andrews, NB
Historic Water Street is central to community of St. Andrews identity. The pedestrian oriented street is over 200 years old, and houses restaurants, shops, galleries, as well as (pre-COVID) community events and the weekly Farmers Market.
Image: townofstandrews.ca
COVID Impacts on Types of Main Streets
Pre-COVID, different types of main streets faced some unique challenges. While many of Canada’s large urban centres were experiencing development booms, the main streets of small and mid-sized cities were facing challenges associated with urban sprawl and competition from big box stores or shopping malls. High property taxes have been a major issue for main streets in large urban centres, especially in gentrifying neighbourhoods, while smaller downtowns were more concerned about population loss.
For the most part, the COVID lockdown has impacted all types of main streets equally; most main street businesses, regardless of where they are located, were required to shut down. But, as provinces move towards reopening, the impacts may not be experienced as evenly across types of main streets.
Business district main streets that relied on office workers, tourists, large gatherings and post-secondary students, may be hit harder as a result of less foot traffic to support local businesses. On the other hand, business district main streets tend to have more chains, which have more resources to support things like retrofits and other changes needed to support social distancing.
Neighbourhood and small town main streets that have a high proportion of independent and small businesses (which tend to have lower margins and less back-office support than chain stores), may see a greater impact. However, because these main streets tend to be more closely linked to the surrounding neighbourhoods, they may benefit from residential populations who can support local businesses and may continue to work from home.
Many small town main streets have only a few key businesses that act as anchors for their main streets, which means the impact of even just one or two business closings may be significant. One possible opportunity for small town main streets is that they may become more popular weekend destinations among residents from nearby towns and cities, who can’t travel as far for summer vacations.
All main streets will likely be impacted by people’s hesitance to visit and linger in public spaces and the restrictions on social gatherings and events, which are so important to their vitality and cultural vibrancy.
Further analysis of how COVID will impact different type of main streets will be a key part of the research done through Bring Back Main Street.