Regarding the article Parking stall, May 8:

I appreciated the story on the plague of surface parking lots downtown and feel the vacuums they create leave a poor perspective of the city to both Winnipeg's visitors and citizens.

Instead of looking at little-known Texan towns for examples of ample parking that spell success for a downtown, perhaps Joe Diner should look at what works, and what has not worked thus far, in his own city. Mr. Diner should compare downtown Winnipeg prior to the arrival of widespread parking lots, to downtown Winnipeg of more recent years. Wouldn't downtown, according to Mr. Diner's reasoning, have only become more and more vibrant with the arrival of each new parking lot?

If the eviscerating of old buildings and the abundance of parking spots really did work, why are areas with few parking spots, such as Osborne, Corydon, or Albert Street where everyone is visiting and wanting to set up shop? Why isn't this happening in areas awash in parking, such as around Hargrave and York?

It is clear to everyone what the answer to those questions is: Built-up districts are attractive places that people enjoy spending time in. This leads to vibrancy, which in turn leads to increased economic growth, tax revenue, and safety.