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The City of Ottawa is currently asking residents for their views on yet another renewal and redesign plan for the Sparks Street Mall. Here is my view: Admit defeat and pursue a more meaningful nation-building project.

The Sparks Street Mall was a novel idea and a worthwhile experiment when it was launched 56 years ago. But despite having been thrown many lifelines and a steady dose of animating features that have come and gone, the mall has never worked.

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Sure, it’s a nice place for a lunch-time stroll for downtown office workers, but as a draw for residents and tourists, it has been a bust.

The City of Ottawa, which owns the street, is nothing if not persistent. It admits in its latest attempt at rejuvenation that the mall has failed to establish and maintain a clear identity, suffers from an inconsistent design, has been poorly maintained, and offers a mix of businesses and land uses that are “uncoordinated.” When will we take the hint that Sparks Street is simply a bad candidate for a pedestrian mall and stop spending good money after bad?