[flar]

Sparks St. is jam packed during business hours, but completely deserted on evenings and weekends. What else would you expect, it's completely surrounded by government office buildings. Almost all of downtown Ottawa is government office buildings but there is some decent shopping on Bank St, especially further towards the Glebe. Sparks St. makes a nice walking path for office workers and is very clean and tidy. All the freaks and panhandlers are on Rideau St.

One can't really complain about the ByWard Market, which is definitely one of the most successful urban spaces in Canada, with lots of high end shopping and restaurants. So there is more there than the Rideau Centre (which is phenomenally successful) but downtown Ottawa is primarily an office district with few tourists. Not really a good place for a retail pedestrian mall.

I definitely would not support pedestrianizing Dundas St. in London. You'd just create a nicer environment for the same ne'er-do-wells hanging around currently.