Many times when we talk about protecting architectural heritage certain people argue that protecting buildings of an older style necessarily means getting in the way of economic progress.  This is a very limited perspective.

In fact, by putting time and effort into designing buildings that create harmony across a neighbourhood or region we can also reap economic rewards.  This happens in large part due to increases in tourism, by attracting visitors both from near and far.  Rue Principale in Aylmer is a great example of the benefits of attracting shoppers from elsewhere in Gatineau and Ottawa, and how they spend money at Aylmer’s local shops.  Without the quaint atmosphere of our main commercial artery and its pedestrian friendly design, would the local markets, festivals and parades that underpin our local economy be held in Aylmer?  It’s far from certain.

And as the artery becomes a local hub for festivals and markets, tourists from farther away will also be drawn to the neighbourhood, further solidifying the economic benefits to the region.

Hence even if giving buildings character and a local architectural theme means higher costs in the short term, over the long term the neighbourhood will almost certainly benefit economically.  Glass boxes don’t help a neighbourhood to distinguish itself.

This goes for both commercial and residential real estate.  Newer houses and condominiums can have character as well, all without breaking the bank in terms of costs.  One of my favourite examples of this is in the Puerto Madero neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Constructed in 2006, it still fits well with the city’s 19th century architecture:

http://www.chateaubeachmiami.com/developer.php

(Click on the first two images at the bottom of the page)

Here in Aylmer, we have examples of successes of architectural harmony as well, getting away from a copy-paste architectural style.  A nice example is Rue Lynn, a collection of houses that look like they’re out of the 19th century, and hence complement Aylmer’s architectural heritage perfectly.  The catch – they were built in the 1990s!

The entire street is made up of houses in a similar style, and as you can imagine, houses put up for sale on this street don’t tend to stay on the market long, regardless of how the overall market is doing.

All of this is to say that designing our neighbourhoods so that they have character can not only be done, but it makes sense – both aesthetically and economically!