I live near downtown and well, every major city has a central library downtown. It serves as a hub for education and intellect. I think it would really help to build a 'central area' in downtown.
The library could also host a public space that could be used for the Farmer's Market, craft fairs, expos... etc.

Little things other major cities have - a number you can call for automated up to date information for each stop (a numerical code on each stop). Run the buses on time. Extend the service both in hours and in scope.
Make the service worth the fare. Make it a viable alternative.

All I'm asking is that my ability to walk not be actively taken away from me come the winter when the plows use my sidewalks, street corners, and crosswalk signals (!) as places to dump snow so that cars can move around.

An easy way to have a vibrant downtown core is to keep it local. Local economies = vibrant cities. The city should consider passing by-laws on SQft restrictions and hight restrictions. Studies show that local independent business contribute 3 - 5 times the economic impact than their non-local counterparts do.

Imagine the possibilities

This would improve traffic flow in the downtown core and if done correctly provide wider sidewalks and more parking (diagonal spaces)

Natural ecology should be given consideration in new development. Consider the space next to the former school for the deaf. It's full of large pine, fairly rare in the city these days. When it is filled with condos can't we keep the trees in front? When Sobeys moved onto the Mt. Cashel property they promised to leave some trees, then they backpaddled and said they would plant trees. Where are the trees there today?

We need to capitalize more on St. John's being a creative place, and to build its capacity to accommodate artists and cultural entrepreneurs. Current initiatives should be fused with new ideas into a Cultural Plan with defined objectives and actions. This can bring many economic, cultural and social dividends.

A visual art college in St.John's is BADLY needed.

The City should host an up-to-date Google Map that has pins on all development approvals which display information like photos, drawings, viewplane analysis, development timelines, etc. when clicked

Danny Williams should be lured back to the city and recruited for mayor, then we'd see change.

Traffic roundabouts are a viable option for intersections: fewer accidents, less damage, faster getting across town...and would have been useful during signal outage during Igor

This may seem trivial but I think it would help tourism to our city. Pave some streets with cobblestone... Gastown in Vancouver has cobblestone streets that were installed in the 80's and it definitely improved the look and feel of the area.
George Street would look stellar with cobbles... as would Rennies Mill Road.

As NL's we take pride in our clean air and natural beauty yet the trend seems to be "lets go in and strip out every living thing and build a parking lot for houses." Then people move in and plant sticks on their lawn. Think people! If you want a better view of the path the city of St. John's is on, go look at the barren wasteland that was once beautiful countryside in "Paradise." We need to think about what we want our city to look like in 5, 10, 20 years.

my idea is to examine positive role models (copenhagen, new york city etc.) for good infrastructure to build better bicycle culture in this great city.

It's everywhere! What do we do about it? Why don't I ever see City of St. John's employees doing anything about it (except for the spring months after the winter thaw and downtown on the weekend mornings). It is everywhere in the City and no one seems to care. I live in the vicinity of three schools are they are terrible for litter. Everyday there is litter from the school kids on my property that I have to pick up. It is a problem in this city that keeps falling the the wayside.

As much as we improve transit in this city, a car is sometimes pretty darn useful. Car share programs park cars around town that members can use on an hourly or daily rate that's cheaper than renting a car. You just pick a car up at the spot closest to you and drop it off at any carshare spot when you're done. Most programs ask for a refundable deposit, but charge no monthly fee. Bonus: a car co-op can offer group insurance policies for their drivers, so they don't have to pay for personal policies.

Create a more environmentally sustainable city by having all developments over a certain ammount (maybe $10 million) meet LEED certification and look at tax incentives for property owners to retrofit their buildings to meet LEED certification.

The development debate is made all that much more problematic by the low quality and anonymity of so many designs coming from developers. Let's do what lots of other cities do and subject the plans to an expert evaluation of their architectural quality before we approve them. They shouldn't necessarily have to be "Heritage-y,", but they should have to have a sense of place, work with its surroundings, and contribute to a unique feel for the city.