NicolBolas
Active Member
I think have a really decentralized workforce doesn't help either. Edmonton needs to redefine itself, I was in Nashville and I think turning Whyte Ave into something like Broadway would attract people.
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Out of Towner
Active Member
I'd agree with that and it could start with Whyte Ave as it's beginning to get a little rough and needs an upgrade. If something isn't done soon the dopers will begin lying on the sidewalks and setting up tents
Oilers99
Active Member
Boring another mid rise. Hopefully more exciting than black or white stucco like at the other Autograph buildings.
IanO
Superstar
Except that Broadway is very much driven by tourism/destination bach/bachettes, live music and conferences that we simply do not have in any real magnitude comparatively speaking.
Not to say that we cannot create our own drivers and destinations, but it's quite a different world.
We need to focus on infill housing of real significance, ie. 20,000 more people living Downtown and say 5-10k more around Whyte to really drive change and THEN the rest may follow.
We also need to work on corporate expansion here and bring far more private sector workers to the core each and every day to drive retail, restaurant and entertainment.
whattheheck
Active Member
How about just focus on, I don't know, the basics?! Cleanliness, social disorder, perception of safety. Maybe wash down the smells of urine and feces and meth.
DT's word-of-mouth reputation is terrible due to the city's neglect/ kids-glove approach. IE: the transit system should be a transit system, not a homeless shelter. DT should be a place of biz/ culture/ entertainment. Not a homeless shelter.
I was in YYC recently and, my goodness, it was a night and day difference to YEG. Yes, Calgary has that corporate presence. But so what?! Why can't we have a better feeling in the core?
Yes, the province is not doing enough. But it seems council is more concerned about appeasing social justice warrior advocates.
Perception is everything. As it stands, most Edmontonians are not proud of DT. Perceptions will only change, when some tough love decisions are made. Sadly, I am not anticipating the needle to move much.
DT's word-of-mouth reputation is terrible due to the city's neglect/ kids-glove approach. IE: the transit system should be a transit system, not a homeless shelter. DT should be a place of biz/ culture/ entertainment. Not a homeless shelter.
I was in YYC recently and, my goodness, it was a night and day difference to YEG. Yes, Calgary has that corporate presence. But so what?! Why can't we have a better feeling in the core?
Yes, the province is not doing enough. But it seems council is more concerned about appeasing social justice warrior advocates.
Perception is everything. As it stands, most Edmontonians are not proud of DT. Perceptions will only change, when some tough love decisions are made. Sadly, I am not anticipating the needle to move much.
IanO
Superstar
I chatted with a couple who connect skilled (foreign) workers to Alberta with South Americans looking to move here and they said '80%' of folks want Calgary (vs Edmonton) due to reputation/perception, 'climate' and the overall look/feel of the city that is being promoted.
David A
Senior Member
Over several decades the City of Edmonton has neither been very focused on either tourism or attracting corporate offices downtown and it shows.
I feel at least a few on council now realize these are problems so it would be nice if this changes, more corporate offices in particular could help downtown a lot.
Offworld
Active Member
If I was faced with having to relocate to Alberta, it would only be Calgary. As one raised in Edmonton, I don't like saying that but it's the honest truth, and for many of the reasons expressed recently in this thread.
archited
Senior Member
It's not just the City but there is an obvious solution staring people in the face on the Skyrise Cities site and others relevant to Edmonton that goes unsupported by the general population. Many of you know that I went to high school (Hochschule -- 4 years) in Europe in the beautiful Black-Forest-adjacent City of Zweibrücken. The question I was asked most often by Students and the General Population on the German Economy and across Europe generally related to First Nations (a Canadian-centric term -- the Europeans wanted to know about Cowboys and Indians). So with just a modicum of exaggeration and a penchant for story-telling I could hold groups' attention wrapt in fascination for long stretches of time. The Canadian Constitution recognizes 3 distinct Indigenous Groups with a very broad cultural flavor among First Nations (with over 630 recognized Governments/Bands), Métis (approximately 600,000 population), and Inuit (approximately 70,000 population). Add that to a World Population of 476 Million Indigenous People representing over 5,000 distinct cultures and there is a recipe to put Edmonton on the map.
-- The Historic Power Plant and the surrounding largely vacant lands in adjacent Rossdale could be the beginning focal point of a Canadian Indigenous Expo (World Indigenous Exposition (WInPEx) honoring both historical culture and modern art, music, food, and ethnology
-- The RE/MAX Field could be expanded to not only service baseball but also hold major showcase events like PowWows, Indigenous Rodeos, and Handcraft Fairs (e.g.Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, NM; Lummi Stommish Water Festival in Washington.).
-- As per other posts on this site Transportation elements could be upgraded to include historical Rail-trams connecting Old Strathcona via Mill Creek, the Low Level Bridge and the "Touch the Water" build-out to the Historic Power Plant; as well the debunked Aerial-tram could be revised between ATB Place/Hotel Macdonald/MRVA and Old Strathcona with major stops along the route at RE/MAX Field and the Power Plant -- these transportation projects with $$$ help from the Feds via PrairieCan and Indigenous Funding initiatives.
-- Once the foregoing was initiated, new high-level bridges could be constructed from downtown to Old Strathcona/South Edmonton -- 1. via an improved alignment of 109th street and 2. from Convention Centre adjacent land aligned with 99ths street. The decks of these bridges could then support World Indigenous initiatives as cultural showcases from all corners of the globe. Bonus: LRT line from the Central Station to the CPKC land in Old Strathcona and HSR from there to YEG and Calgary (Prov and Fed funding initiative).
Jeeze Louise if anything isn't as obvious an initiative as this I would love to hear it. This would be a permanent Expo that would draw millions from across the globe -- Hotels, Alternative Offices, Eateries, Bars, Entertainment venues, International Students!!! Economy on fire!!!
Oilers99
Active Member
Tell people and they will say Calgary is just as bad! It’s not Calgary has done a much better job of keeping its downtown safe and even in a potentially dangerous area near the shelter in east village. We have become a joke of a city with the way downtown has been handled.
roe_
Active Member
It's time to drop the 'second-city' complex. Comparing ourselves to Calgary is a sign of low self-esteem that ignores the actual momentum. People are voting with their feet: in 2025, Edmonton’s growth rate (3.1%) edged out Calgary’s (2.9%), and we had over 21,000 housing starts.
Calgary is great at marketing, but they’re currently hiding a 30%+ office vacancy rate. Edmonton has stabilized around 19% because we’ve stopped waiting for a corporate miracle and started doing the complex, multi-pronged work. The 'fix' for Downtown isn't a one-size-fits-all band-aid.
Calgary does well when it runs down the competition and pretends to be the only game in town. It isn't. Let’s focus on our own growth and let the results speak for themselves.
Calgary is great at marketing, but they’re currently hiding a 30%+ office vacancy rate. Edmonton has stabilized around 19% because we’ve stopped waiting for a corporate miracle and started doing the complex, multi-pronged work. The 'fix' for Downtown isn't a one-size-fits-all band-aid.
Calgary does well when it runs down the competition and pretends to be the only game in town. It isn't. Let’s focus on our own growth and let the results speak for themselves.
johnnyboy
Active Member
Comparison is the thief of joy.
Whatup
Active Member
You feel "at least a few on council now realize these are the problems"? Its a little late for that don't you think? Also, Edmonton's council is dominated by lefty virtue signalling anti -capitalist who have no idea how to attact corporate business. Edmonton will never ever compete with Calgary in most areas now. There was a time, about 60ish years ago, when Edmonton and Calgary had similar corporate presence. However, Edmonton relied too much on government and did very well - the expansion of government bureaucracy and the growth of the U of A led to thousands of well paid unionized public service jobs. Calgary could not rely as much on these types of employment sectors and therefore put much greater focus into corporate economic growth - this is why the boom and bust has traditionally impacted Calgary more than Edmonton. Its also why they are more conservative because more Calgarians appreciate market driven competition and are less enamoured with publicly funded unions. While Calgary was coming into its own in the 1970s and 80s and hosting the Olympics Edmonton was being led by anti-capitalist types like Jan Reimer. I will always cheer for the Oilers and have a soft spot for Edmonton but the city has become too much left wing, too much socialism, too soft on crime and too much NDP. The well paid government employees know who butters their bread and raving anti-semitic civic embarassments like Heather Macpherson has a job for life here in Edmonton. Calgary has become a much nicer, more urbane and respected city and is a major player nationally and growing player internationally. Edmonton is an afterthought - it's downtown is a civic disgrace and middle class union types with guarenteed pensions who think the UCP is evil will keep voting for the socialist NDP and gap between Calgary and Edmonton will keep growing. It is what it is - the last two civic elections show the two different directions these cities are going - Calgary with more pragmatic common sense leadership with an emphasis on job growth, cleaning up downtown and law enforcement, attracting high paid jobs in the tech sector and protecting their beautiful heritage neigbourhoods from multiplexes - and Edmonton which does the opposite. Now if you came to Alberta as a immigrant which city would you want to live in? Which city has a better future for your kids?
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HelpEd
New Member
What?!? To soft on crime ? Like Edmonton made these policies and not the feds and province…. What did I just read
ADob
Active Member
What you read is the ongoing and repetitive rantings of someone many of us have long since muted, FYI.