There is a theory, popularized in The Atlantic Monthly magazine in the early 1980s, called the “Broken Window Theory.”
“Social psychologists and police officers tend to agree that if a window in a building is broken and is left unrepaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken. This is as true in nice neighborhoods as in rundown ones,” wrote James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling in 1982.
In a nutshell, they posit, if broken windows are left unfixed, it signals to would-be vandals that nobody cares, so breaking the rest of them is fair game.
Of course, it does not just apply to broken windows. Unkempt properties, garbage in the streets, boarded-up buildings, graffiti, beget more of the same. And along with it comes crime and social decay.
On the other hand, if these things are taken care of immediately, it signals that people care. Soon investment follows and a neighbourhood can quickly change its character altogether.
For some time, downtown Prince Rupert has been in decay. It is one of the top things residents complain about and it is one of the top things cruise passengers have cited in their reviews of their visits.
Great strides have been made. From the cruise terminal, it’s just a hop, skip and a jump to the revitalized Cow Bay. Just up the hill, there’s a lovely park. Further down the waterfront, the historic CN building has been converted into a beautiful new brewpub with great food. But the further you venture into downtown, the less appealing the city gets.
Prince Rupert has vast potential, but it needs renewal. Some of that is already taking place, but more needs to be done and city council appears to be on the job.
Last year, council took remedial action against two of the top nuisance properties, the former Rose’s Oriental Gifts and Foods on Third Avenue and the former Angus Apartments on Second Avenue.
Rose’s has now been demolished. The city had hoped the Angus Apartments would also be down by now, but complications have slowed the process.
More recently, council took remedial action against the eyesore that is the former Husky station at the corner of Second Avenue and First Street with the mayor promising more to come.
Kudos to city council for caring and doing something about the state of the downtown core.
The first step to revitalizing Prince Rupert is fixing the broken windows.