There are a few things that are coming down the 'pike that may alter living situations and life-styles substantially and that also may have an affect on urban sprawl (
perhaps not in the direction that one might suspect) and these could be excellent study opportunities for the "blank slate" that is Edmonton-and-surrounds:
1. "work from home" is now a "thing" and is gaining in popularity (
for some, not all) -- e.g. this guy I know (
let's call him Eduardo) really enjoys working from home; he can satisfy the requirements of all of his architectural clients, meeting on-site and face-to-face as needed but more frequently connecting via zoom, requiring no travel at all (
car, bus, rail, aeroplane... nada). Eduardo grew up on a farm (
in the very, very early days) and has a hankering for that liberating lifestyle. So he now has in mind to buy a small acreage (4 to 10 in size) and build his dream house thereupon -- raise miniatures (horses, donkeys, Jersey cows, Nigerian mini-goats and Babydoll sheep). He has expertise in Aquaponics and vertical farming.
2. Vertical Farming and Aquaponics -- Vertical farming is just at the very forefront of viability and projected astronomical growth. It requires very little soil and takes up minimal ground-plane floor space. And these vertical factory agriculture endeavors are now moving into suburban and urban realms -- much much closer to end-use points (
retail markets). And some of the smarter people are combining these with an Aquaponics set-up -- the experimentation started with Tilapia (
a relatively recent popular food fish) whereby tank-raised fish produce waste water which is then used to sustain farm plant-life; in a symbiotic relationship the plants remove the "fertilizer" aspects of the water and return the purified liquid back to the fish tank for a repeat cycle. The whole experiment has now blossomed into a major agricultural industry, ripe for replication in Edmonton with fish species expanded to all manner of fresh-water species (some even dedicated to the pet-industry -- Koi, Goldfish, Pleckos, Bettas, to name a few) and plant forms across the food spectrum and into ornamental-culture. The industry potential here is HUGE.
3. Transportation overhaul where we are just on the cutting edge. The advent of short- and medium-range electric aircraft is going to extend the commute limits and will bring on a surge in mid-size town airports -- Eduardo suggested that a certain Edmonton-based carrier open up a new income stream potential by developing electric "Flairports" -- Edmonton connected to outlying towns such as Vegreville, Camrose, and Whitecourt. As small towns have undergone the malaise associated with large commercially-owned farming operations and the associated urban influx of one-time farmers, this point aligned with the foregoing will surely reverse that trend. The build up of nodal rural-situated centres will even make rail networks more viable.
4. The rural "reach" of vacation destinations -- building off of the growth in small centres that will surely come as indicated above, the hospitality industry will begin looking at new possibilities. Alberta is blessed with one of the most diverse geographies imaginable -- mountains, foothills, parkland, forests, plentiful lakes and streams, deserts (
and desserts, too @CplKlinger), badlands, and short- and tall-grass prairies. The Hospitality potential is only half-full presently.
5. The prowess of the "solo-professional" -- technology has enabled many one-man/woman pros to establish consultancy/service/medical businesses that don't rely on collective enterprises. They are then able to specialize in Niche markets. Eduardo thought how cool it would be to erect live-work office/residence towers whereby professionals, including lawyers (ptui!), doctors, dentists, engineers, architects, game-developers, graphic designers, and even planners (
thinnin' of you @Avenuer) could live and work in a unit that is sold part-and-parcel with a lakeside weekender residence for a taste of two-worlds.
6. Modern Vagabonds -- with the electric vehicle onslaught there is a renewed interest in Skoolies (
look it up) whereby decommissioned school buses (
and others) are retrofitted as customized living units meant to be a placebo for the wanderlusters. Solar-panel roofs, internet connectivity via Musk's Skylink, electric battery management systems, containerized plumbing -- all have contributed to the broken tether that had held these travel-meisters in situ.
You see,
@Platinum107, there are a lot of changes coming -- hence the need for study and the underscored necessity for Anthropological learning and a broad open mind.
