By Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen, April 24, 2015
In the beginning, it was good. The Sparks Street Mall, Canada’s first
pedestrian-only street, was chock-a-block with department stores and other
retail shops. For a time, it bustled. The decline began with the rise of
suburban malls and gained momentum with the construction of the Rideau Centre.
One by one, Sparks Street’s department stores closed. Properties were left
empty, sometimes for years. Scaffolding went up and stayed up. The massive
government buildings on the street’s north side were perpetually being
renovated, or so it seemed. via
Would allowing vehicles onto Sparks bring Ottawa’s famous street back from
the dead? | Ottawa Citizen.