How music can ruin a city

Dull, vapid elevator music is being pumped onto Rideau Street in Ottawa, in front of the Rideau Centre. The intent is apparantly to keep people from loitering in the area. Rideau Street is notorious for teenagers the homeless, drug dealers, and other people who business considers ‘undesireable’.

This isn’t a new thing – the McDonald’s has been playing classical music outdoors for a few years now, and it seems to effectively keep loitering to a minimum.

But at least McD’s plays classical music. The crap they have playing elsewhere on Rideau Street is mind numbing elevator music. It’s the aural equivalent to painting every storefront the same shade of grey.