Downtown city office, better links to river, cited in report to 'reimagine' downtown London

A new consultant's report coming to a city council committee this week recommends steps to revitalize London's downtown over the next 10 years, with the councillor who represents the core saying it offers a good start.

In its 76-page report, the Canadian Urban Institute lays out 58 recommended actions and four "big moves" designed to enhance London's core.

Coun. David Ferreira, whose Ward 13 covers most of the downtown core, welcomes the new batch of ideas to help downtown.

"I think we should support this," said Ferreira. "For every dollar you invest in downtown, you're going to get two back."

One of the report's suggested "core moves" includes setting up a new "nimble" governance structure focused entirely on downtown issues. Specific upgrades to come with this approach would be a dedicated downtown office with a service "concierge" to quickly process permits and other paperwork for special events.

The report also calls on the city to take steps to better integrate downtown with the Forks of the Thames River, by creating a dedicated "river district" through new developments and events programming.

Other steps the report recommends include having the city continue and expand its efforts to promote London as a music city. It also calls for upgrades to enhance important downtown spaces such as Victoria Park, Ivey Park and Covent Garden Market.

The total cost of implementing the plan would be about $48 million, money that, at this point, would have to come from the city's next four-year budget. Those spending decisions won't happen until after the new city council is elected in October.

Ferreira said the report is valuable because its ideas reflect the current challenges of a post-pandemic downtown shaped by everything from a changing retail environment to a work-from-home culture.

"The actions in the report are grounded and very realistic," he said. "It's not pie-in-the-sky, it's things we can actually do."

Ferreira is particularly keen on the dedicated downtown office, which he said has the potential to ensure that any approved downtown enhancements actually get carried out.

More than 5,500 people provided input for the report. A section summarizing their feedback says concerns about safety and comfort were "recurring concerns across all engagement streams."

Many of those surveyed made reference to "visible drug use, boarded-up storefronts, and fear of crime as barriers to enjoying and spending time downtown."

Those words ring true for Gord Hume, who served on the City of London's Board of Control during the late 1990s. During his time on the city council, Hume served on a committee tasked with addressing downtown problems.

"It was grim, it was dirty," he recalls. "People were not enjoying their time downtown. It was not a happy place. It was a tough time."

Hume said the committee ran into many challenges but also had some big wins. Relocating the Central Library to a then-vacant former Hudson's Bay store (now Citi Plaza) happened on his watch.

Their work also played a role in getting the John Labatt Centre (now Canada Life Place) built on Dundas Street.

Hume said fixing downtown's existing problems won't be easy, but it's achievable.

"I think the number of empty stores is a problem," he said. "The cleanliness is an issue."

In a section listing key data, the report says London has made some progress in improving its downtown in recent years.

While the commercial retail vacancy rate remains high at 17 per cent, more people are choosing London's downtown as a place to live.

As of 2025, more than 11,700 people lived in downtown London, up from 9,000 in 2021. That's a five-year growth rate of 29 per cent at a time when citywide growth was 18 per cent.

The stats also point to a downtown population that is young, most between 20-34 years in age. London's downtown population is also diverse, the report says, with nearly 50 per cent representing first- or second-generation immigrants and nearly one-third representing a visible minority.

The report is on the agenda for Tuesday's meeting of city council's Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee.