News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 02, 2020
A Message to Our Readers
 11K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
EarthCam Time-Lapse Documents Rafael Viñoly-Designed New Stanford Hospital Construction
 43K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
Resort Town
 6.8K     0 
I don’t like sprawl, and I wish our downtown was more vibrant, but at the same time, Edmonton’s affordability works for me personally. With a wife, two kids and a dog, my quality of life is better with a house or townhome than would be with an apartment.
At the same time I’m envious of the downtowns in places like Calgary or Ottawa, but I’m not envious of their real estate prices.
 
^sure and that makes Edmonton attractive for some, but also at the expense of more central development due to cheap housing.
 
IanO said:
^sure and that makes Edmonton attractive for some, but also at the expense of more central development due to cheap housing.
Click to expand...
I think that was the point being made.

Much like Return to Office mandates, I refuse to advocate against people's quality of life in favor of the street vibrancy that comes from high rents and downtown cubicle farms.
 
IanO said:
^sure and that makes Edmonton attractive for some, but also at the expense of more central development due to cheap housing.
Click to expand...
Look, I’m not disagreeing, I’m saying it’s the conundrum and I’m using my own personal situation as an example.
I can’t speak for everybody in Edmonton, but I don’t doubt there are many in the same situation. They’re pulled in by the appeal of cheap housing and the ability to have a family and a single-family home but at the same time complain about the lack of vibrancy downtown.
 
AntonK said:
Look, I’m not disagreeing, I’m saying it’s the conundrum and I’m using my own personal situation as an example.
I can’t speak for everybody in Edmonton, but I don’t doubt there are many in the same situation. They’re pulled in by the appeal of cheap housing and the ability to have a family and a single-family home but at the same time complain about the lack of vibrancy downtown.
Click to expand...
Yes, I agree suburban affordability does draw some people away from more central areas, but this is only part of the story.

If we did a better job dealing with the various serious issues or problems related to our downtown: safety, cleanliness, attracting more corporate jobs, and more retail, it would also be more attractive for people to live there and be more vibrant.
 
David A said:
If we did a better job dealing with the various serious issues or problems related to our downtown: safety, cleanliness, attracting more corporate jobs, and more retail, it would also be more attractive for people to live there and be more vibrant.
Click to expand...
There’s those issues as well, and they can’t be overstated.
Many of my downtown living friends grew tired of the same old issues and instead left for other cities.
 
AntonK said:
I don’t like sprawl, and I wish our downtown was more vibrant, but at the same time, Edmonton’s affordability works for me personally. With a wife, two kids and a dog, my quality of life is better with a house or townhome than would be with an apartment.
At the same time I’m envious of the downtowns in places like Calgary or Ottawa, but I’m not envious of their real estate prices.
Click to expand...
Its definitely a "catch 22" situation. Sprawl has allowed for affordability, but at the same time the cost to maintain the sprawl will (and likely has already) increased over time. My Vancouver friend was shocked to learn that I paid $4,700 in property taxes last year on my house valued at $458,000. For context, we were walking around North Vancouver looking at SFH and she was like "the property taxes here on that house is probably $5K" and I said "well my property taxes are almost at that" haha
 
AntonK said:
There’s those issues as well, and they can’t be overstated.
Many of my downtown living friends grew tired of the same old issues and instead left for other cities.
Click to expand...

THIS.

We seem to forget about being competitive and working harder to make Edmonton attractive and retain more folks who are mobile and want:

1. great job offerings
2. an urban experience
3. a city that is interesting, exciting, vibrant
 
I think the downtown core is improving as more and more empty parking lots disappear. Yes I do want to see you far better architecture in these areas but the vibrancy of the downtown will continue to improve as there is more people and more buildings as opposed to fields and Fields of parking lots.
 
IanO said:
2001 says that exactly what we said back then with 1/10th the disorder and 10x the retail.
Click to expand...
I wonder how the valley lines and bike infrastructure change the “net” of the equation for improvements and challenges.

I think disorder is the trump card problem. But arguably in 2029 we will have a much more accessible DT for those living in mature suburbs and out to the henday.

We don’t live downtown, we are in a central, mature neighborhood. But the bike lanes and a frequent bus route with 7min frequencies have been the biggest reason I’m downtown more than if driving was my only option.
 
AntonK said:
There’s those issues as well, and they can’t be overstated.
Many of my downtown living friends grew tired of the same old issues and instead left for other cities.
Click to expand...
Yep, I was relieved when I stopped working in DT. Moved out of the core as a result. The City's approach is all money, no mouth.
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top