If Lawrence City Commissioner Lance Johnson wanted to start a community discussion about the future of downtown Lawrence, he’s already accomplished part of his goal.

His idea of closing off some section of downtown to traffic and creating a pedestrian mall hasn’t gained much support, but his efforts to “challenge the status quo of downtown” may have started a useful conversation in Lawrence.

Johnson is right that downtown Lawrence is a unique space. It no longer is the retail center of the city, but it’s arguably still the heart of Lawrence. When we want to celebrate an Orange Bowl win or an NCAA basketball championship, we head downtown. When the annual July 4th celebration was moved out of downtown, there was a huge outcry to bring it back. When it came back this year, with the help of a creative group of local restaurants, it drew thousands of people to a great community event. We love to draw out of town visitors, but it’s also our downtown.

Johnson makes a great point when he says that downtown is about “the experience.” People come downtown because they love the atmosphere. It’s something different. It seems that the most successful shops and restaurants in downtown are those that are locally owned and offer a unique shopping experience.

Those businesses help draw people downtown, but they need some help. Movies in the vacant lot at Ninth and New Hampshire streets are a good example. Downtown gallery walks also seem like a good idea. It’s all about bringing more people to the area. They may come for the movie or the art and stay to shop and dine. They may make the trip to visit a specific store and stop at three others while they’re walking by. It’s all about the people.

A pedestrian mall has been considered and rejected by Lawrence before, with good reason. Something like the Pearl Street mall in Boulder, Colo., wouldn’t be a panacea for Lawrence, and might be more of an obstacle than an attraction. Lawrence needs to come up with its own ideas.

Only a couple of days after Johnson’s ideas were featured in the Journal-World, the creative juices are flowing. Maybe we should shut down a few blocks of Massachusetts Street for a special event once a month, or look at turning a block or two of a side street into a pedestrian mall. Some have also made the valid point that making sure downtown is clean and attractive and that pedestrians feel safe there day and night is important. With the Douglas County courthouse and Watkins Community Museum of History anchoring downtown on the south and the Eldridge Hotel and the Kansas River on the north, the city should be able to use its rich history to help feed downtown.

Johnson’s ideas already have come under some attack, but he should be congratulated for throwing out some thoughts that may get people to look at downtown in a different way. It’s time to shake up the status quo a little bit and consider some new opportunities for downtown.