This summer Jasper’s streets were more energetic than ever, with sidewalk cafes bringing a new life to the downtown core.
Since May, visitors and locals have taken advantage of the new offer, sipping coffee, drinking beer and diving into burgers, all while soaking up the sunshine and taking in Jasper’s gorgeous mountain views.
It was a new addition that was a long time coming. Restauranteurs had been asking for it for eons and last spring the municipality finally pulled up its socks and made it happen, working together with Parks Canada to create a pilot project to test out the idea.
The pilot project is the second the municipality has undertaken to accommodate commercial use of public space—the first being the farmer’s market, which operates in the McCready Centre parking lot—and by all accounts it’s been a success.
Of course there were a few hiccups, as restauranteurs tried to find the perfect placement for their tables and chairs to reduce congestion on Jasper’s narrow downtown sidewalks, but those issues were quickly ironed out in the first few weeks and the result was a rejuvenated downtown core.
Sidewalk seating created a lively atmosphere that encouraged people to stick around and enjoy Jasper’s streets, taking in the sights and sounds of our little mountain town.
In the coming weeks, the first season of sidewalk seating will come to a close, but now council is facing yet another opportunity to add life to Jasper’s streets.
The idea is to allow busking as part of a two-day pilot project where local performers—selected by Habitat for the Arts—take to the streets during Alberta Culture Days.
Much like restauranteurs advocated for sidewalk seating, the local arts community has been calling for busking for years, asking that council allow musicians and street performers on Jasper’s public sidewalks. But, like sidewalk seating and the farmer’s market, busking is considered commercial use of public land, so it is currently prohibited.
If approved by council, a two-day trial would take place at the end of the month, with a handful of performers taking to the streets to share their art with passersby, while collecting change in guitar cases, hats and cans.
The hope is after those two days are up, the municipality will be able to gather information on what worked and what didn’t, so it can create a busking bylaw that would allow performances on Jasper’s streets.
We encourage council to approve this trial run, as it did with sidewalk seating and the farmer’s market, and to open its mind to a busking bylaw, so Jasper’s downtown core can continue its transformation into a creative, energetic, welcoming space.
