Calgary's Public Realm

[RyLucky]

I don't think it has to be a dirty word, but it certainly comes with nuance.

Just curious, Nick, does your definition of gentrification only occur in areas that are full of rentals? Does the rising cost of living have to apply only to rents or could it be cost of a meal at a restaurant, or the cost of going further than before for basic services? Does it count as gentrification if a rundown commercial neighbourhood gives way for a middle class residential one? Do homeless people count as residents? Isn't there a risk that the people currently living in East Village (median income is like 18k) will eventually see their rents rise and properties redeveloped as land values rise? Does it not count as gentrification if a parking lot that serves the middle class is found to generate more economic value than renting a house to vagrants?

I actually don't think gentrification is a bad thing so long as communities maintain a range of housing options that includes an option accessible to someone working minimum wage. That, and it ought to preserve historical character where valuable.

I'm clearly open to a philosophical discussion about this interesting topic, but I don't think there's much value in deciphering an exact and absolute definition to a word with so much nuance. I'm more interest in how you and others relate to the word and in what cases you believe it to have a negative connotation.

[Chadillaccc]

Holy christ Oh internet...

[suburbia]

Perhaps we need to bring in designers of Kawloon Walled City to revisit what is being planned for the EV?
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/...65_964x736.jpg

There was place for everyone there ... except police, of course.

[nick.flood]

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[nick.flood]

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[RyLucky]

Originally Posted by nick.flood

I'm not familiar with the meaning of the term 'douche away'.

douche a·way. do͞oSH/əˈwā/verb. 1. to shower.

[Chadillaccc]

Originally Posted by nick.flood

I'm not familiar with the meaning of the term 'douche away'.

Yet, as a human in the Western world, you clearly know exactly what I meant, just as you did when I said the word "gentrification" even if it wasn't an exact meaning in the context I used it... but here were are!

Douche - informal definition - someone who acts like a bag of douche's, or who starts arguments on the internet because they have a slightly different definition of a word than someone.

Originally Posted by nick.flood

It's a discussion forum. You can opt out at any time.

Yeah, a discussion forum in a thread specifically about Calgary's Public Realm, which is what my post was about. This is not a thread to discuss the definition of words, leading to pedantic and completely nonsensical arguments, like the one you have clearly intentionally started due to a single word used in a very clear post I made.

I have opted out.

[nick.flood]

delete

[Chadillaccc]

You are so smart!

[nick.flood]

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[Spring2008]

Looks like the finishing touches at the new West Beltline Park are in, lots of new plants etc. Together with the big art piece, and how it wraps around the CBE school, another great amenity for the Beltline.

[Chadillaccc]

Good to hear. Is that the one with the debate currently ongoing about whether or not to allow restaurant patios to front onto the park?

[RyLucky]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

Good to hear. Is that the one with the debate currently ongoing about whether or not to allow restaurant patios to front onto the park?

I think Spring2008 is talking about the West Beltline Park at 12th Ave and 9th St SW (Where the big new chinook arch public art is). This park has been getting a facelift over the past year.

Discussion about restaurant patios centers on the park and lawnbowling club at 16th Ave and 11th st SW. No work will occur there until late 2015, but there is currently consultation happening about how folks would like to see it develop.

[Jimby]

Barb Scott Park

[Spring2008]

Say what!?

Planting 1 Million Trees within 100KM of Downtown Calgary

CALGARY, June 16, 2014 /CNW/ - With the one year anniversary of southern Alberta's most damaging floods upon us, The Carbon Farmer (www.thecarbonfarmer.ca) is proud to announce a plan to heal and enhance the Bow River watershed - with many many more trees.

Arlene Dickinson, from CBC's Dragons' Den, will be kicking off the 2014 planting efforts at the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area as part of a "forest friendraiser" event on Wednesday June 18th from 8:00AM-2:00PM. Those trees and the thousands to follow will be focused on the ecosystems near the Bow River and the creeks, wetlands and natural springs that flow into it. Forests help slow and absorb water, acting as an important natural flood defence.

Planting projects within the City limits are also underway in coordination with the City of Calgary parks department. Through the power of crowdfunding on Alberta Boostr (http://albertaboostr.ca/) everyone can pitch in and have a seedling planted on their behalf for $3.50 at Bowness Park.

The Carbon Farmer, which began on a third generation family farm in northern Alberta, has been planting native trees, shrubs and grasses for habitat restoration and carbon credits since 2007.

http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1373...wntown-calgary

[Fuzz]

Might be easier just to stop chopping them all down around Bragg Creek....

[Full Mountain]

Originally Posted by Spring2008

Say what!?

http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1373...wntown-calgary

Glad to see trees being planted, kinda barren out in the burbs.

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Might be easier just to stop chopping them all down around Bragg Creek....

Bazinga!

Edit: they wouldn't get carbon credits to sell if they just kept existing trees though....

[Calgarian]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Might be easier just to stop chopping them all down around Bragg Creek....

This would be the first step IMO. Once they stop cutting the existing trees down they can start to replace them with new ones. Will be good to have many more trees in the area though.

Speaking of trees, I noticed that they are replacing a bunch on Stephen Ave today.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by Full Mountain

Glad to see trees being planted, kinda barren out in the burbs.

That is what happens when you build on the prairies, yes.

Calgary is so weird. The City has some tree planting program for the burbs - my neighbourhood (Royal Oak) was one of the "chosen ones" this year. They're making quite the hullabaloo over us adopting the most trees by far in this program. Something like a few hundred. Big whoop. Calgary as a city should be investing in thousands of trees in a neighbourhood my size, and doing every suburb within a 5 year stretch. Not taking 20 years to plant 5000.

This city, and its surroundings, could use a few million new trees. Imagine what we'd look like in 50 years or so, if we did that. It's what Winnipeg did a century ago, and it shows in their older areas. I wish someone with more vision (and money) than I would get on this. This program at least seems like a pretty good start - so long as it's not just trees in parks. Those are important, but we have tons of places that could stand to see a tree.

[Full Mountain]

Originally Posted by freeweed

That is what happens when you build on the prairies, yes.

Calgary is so weird. The City has some tree planting program for the burbs - my neighbourhood (Royal Oak) was one of the "chosen ones" this year. They're making quite the hullabaloo over us adopting the most trees by far in this program. Something like a few hundred. Big whoop. Calgary as a city should be investing in thousands of trees in a neighbourhood my size, and doing every suburb within a 5 year stretch. Not taking 20 years to plant 5000.

This city, and its surroundings, could use a few million new trees. Imagine what we'd look like in 50 years or so, if we did that. It's what Winnipeg did a century ago, and it shows in their older areas. I wish someone with more vision (and money) than I would get on this. This program at least seems like a pretty good start - so long as it's not just trees in parks. Those are important, but we have tons of places that could stand to see a tree.

Very true, the prairies are not a good place to grow trees, that said the guidelines for low density housing in established communities says that if a tree is to be removed as part of a development the equivalent diameter should be replanted. This isn't something that developers or the city seem to be sticking to.