Imagine you go into an LRT station and find yourself in the midst of a hive of activity. People are buying newspapers from a kiosk, or wares from vendors with small tables. A quartet is playing chamber music and a magician is amusing all and sundry.

If that were to happen to you, the one thing you would know with absolute certainty is that you were not in Edmonton.

As alien as the scene I just describe might be to the average Edmontonian, it is a daily occurrence for many rapid transit riders around the world. Underground spaces are an extension of the life going on in the city above them.

But here in River City, we like to keep the underground section of our LRT as barren and as devoid of stimulation as possible. Except for peak periods in the morning and afternoon, our downtown stations look like part of a science fiction movie about a world in which almost everyone has disappeared. At various times throughout the day, our LRT is nothing if not creepy.

I had occasion to think about that as I was navigating my way through the Grandin Station on my way to the Legislature.

There is nothing in that station that would indicate to people that they are in a vibrant, creative, dynamic city. Access to the Legislature is provided by one of longest, most sterile tunnels I have ever seen. The only signs of human life appear when you enter the area owned by the provincial government.

I have to wonder what kind of message we are sending about our city, not only to visitors, but to Edmontonians, as well.

There has to be a way to use these public spaces to our advantage. They should be full of life. To do that, we need to do much more than let the odd busker ply his or her trade.

I have no doubt that if asked people what we might do to make our downtown LRT stations come alive, there would be no shortage of ideas that would come forward.

There are those that will reject any attempt to change our underground mausoleums out of hand. They will have a list of reasons why trying to vitalize or LRT stations won’t work. A mindset that accentuates the negative and ignores the positive will ensure our city remains a monument to urban mediocrity.