THUNDER BAY -- A balance between private and public sector dollars can help make a city's architecture an economic driver.
Toon Dreessen, president of the Ontario Association of Architects, was in Thunder Bay Wednesday highlighting how architecture can help drive an economy.
From long-term growth planning to retrofitting old architecture, like the Baggage Building he was speaking in, architecture can guide a city to make it more sustainable, giving the people there a place to work and play.
"That really helps drive economic activity," he said.
"And play that role in helping create and form communities."
Dreessen points to the city's waterfront as a perfect example. The more a city invests in its architecture and public spaces, the more it sees a return.
"It's enormous. It vastly exceeds the initial investment by creating opportunities for things like tourism," he said.
Those investments though should be a balance of public and private money.
"It shouldn't all be from the public dollar but it shouldn't all be from the private sector either," he said.
