Downtown

[David A]

I really hope so.

It's a tough time of the year to make Edmonton pretty, so pray for snow and -3C to avoid wrecking people's shoes, but please oh please fix wayfinding, wash down where possible/reasonable, polish, clean, light, replace, promote and have a ton of patrols, EPS, support workers and volunteer ambassadors.

Its not so hard to go through a few days before hand, do a good clean up, put up banners, improve signage a bit, add patrols, etc... However, it does require organization and a bit of solid proactive planning. The weather, of course we can't control.

The real challenge is all the empty space people here will see. Business wise it looks like a great recession downtown, at best it is somewhat sterile with a greatly diminished number of businesses around. It is really at odds with what is supposedly a relatively prosperous city in a prosperous province. I am not sure how much can be done about this at this point, but it is something we need to keep in mind and try deal with as much as possible.

 

[NathanielBorody]

Was unsure about what form to post this in but this one seemed to be the most fitting.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1628905875841892352

 

[occidentalcapital]

Was unsure about what form to post this in but this one seemed to be the most fitting.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1628905875841892352

I think other organizations have taken on the mantle. I agree the City seems to be going back to basics. Era of progressive, big thinking, city transformation helmed by City Hall seems to have ended, for now. You would hope that this will mean a greater focus on basics like street cleaning, grass cutting, proper horticulture, litter pickup, repairs to already-built infrastructure.

 

[IanO]

All good things...

Having presented at PK in 2011, 2014 and 2018, attended a ton of their events and supported a lot of that work, I feel kinda sad that this era is ending. But, I am optimistic that the 'next gen' will come together, be ambitious and tackle new issues facing Edmonton, its perception and future.

 

[soupcrate]

What did NextGen even do? Reading their website gives off student council vibes.

 

[IanO]

Edmonton’s NextGen is a non-profit society of volunteers working together to support the growth of a city that is attractive to the next generation.​

About — Edmonton's NextGen

www.edmontonnextgen.ca

 

[David A]

I don't know that much about NextGen, but we don't seem to lack for vague and ambitious ideas these days - governments are chock full of them.

The problem seems to be execution.

 

[Greenspace]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1630318602372141058

 

[TAS]

I took a screenshot of this pic from a house listing I saw. I love the long stretch of towers and residential buildings. What's surprising to me is that in looking at this, you would think downtown and Oliver was this very dense area with lively streets, shops and people walking around everywhere.
But it's not quite like that at all - or not like I want it to be, anyway.

But wow, beautiful pic. Beautiful from a distance.

 

[David A]

Yes, the picture looks quite impressive, but in reality not as much. First of all that stretch of high rises along the river valley in Oliver does not go that far back - a few blocks in many places. Second downtown has tall buildings, but also has a lot of empty retail/commercial space at street level and empty lots you can't see in this picture.

Some of the empty lots are being filled in and there in now more construction in Oliver north of Jasper Avenue, so it is improving. Perhaps one day we will live up to the picture better.

 

[kcantor]

^

yes but…

an all too typical edmonton response to far too many things.

damn but we can be our own worst enemies...

it’s one thing to criticize what warrants criticism but it’s quite another not to accept anything complimentary without attaching a negative modifier it.

 

[Glenco]

^

yes but…

an all too typical edmonton response to far too many things.

damn but we can be our own worst enemies...

it’s one thing to criticize what warrants criticism but it’s quite another not to accept anything complimentary without attaching a negative modifier it.

If we want other people to believe in us first we have to believe in ourselves a quality sadly lacking.

 

[David A]

While I think incessant boosterism can be annoying and off putting, I feel we overdo humility, modesty and inferiority to our detriment at times.

Maybe it is because we are a younger and a bit smaller than more established places. I also think there is quite a branch plant mentality, because so few very large business that operate here are based here.

It is easy to say we should change our attitude and while I completely agree, I also see that it and the factors that contribute to it are quite persistent and pervasive.

 

[occidentalcapital]

The funny thing is how little this all matters. People don't make decisions based on internet discussions. The reality on the ground is what matters.

 

[David A]

People make decisions based on sentiment and confidence as well as other factors. If a community doesn't have confidence in itself, that does not encourage either local businesses or investors from elsewhere.

Of course, even despite all the happy talk, if someone from out of town is visiting and sees a lot of empty store fronts in the downtown area, that does not encourage them either. I suppose we could try the old Vancouver trick where they try to get visitors to avoid certain bad areas of downtown, but I don't think that necessarily works.