So I've been thinking lately about all of the changes Calgary is currently going through, thinking it to be somewhat of a major renaissance period for the city. Then today I realized that this renaissance is ongoing in many major cities throughout the country, from Edmonton to Kitchener, a bunch of our cities seem to have major urban revitalizations underway from new LRT and Subway lines, new public spaces, new public institutions, and even district developments that will greatly enhance the public realm. I thought it would be a cool idea for a thread to be able to discuss the breadth of this urban revival and massive intensification going on throughout our great country. I can't really pinpoint where this era started but I'll just pick an arbitrary date of 2005 and believe it will remain ongoing until at least 2025 by the looks of the proposals coming in across the nation.
Here's a bit of a list of what I have noticed going on, by the city:
Vancouver: Canada Line Skytrain, Evergreen Line Skytrain, Future Broadway Subway, Skytrain Station Revitalization, new Vancouver Art Gallery proposal, new public amenities due to development levies, Robson Square redevelopment, Revitalization of Science World and area, Olympic Village/SE False Creek developments, future NE False Creek Developments, TransCanada Highway Improvements, Port Mann Bridge, Waterfront Transit Hub proposal, and much more
Calgary: West Blue Line C-Train, Green Line C-Train proposal, 4-car C-train Station Expansion Project, Numerous C-Train Line Extensions, Ongoing RiverWalk Project, Numerous BRT Projects, Kensington Pedestrian Improvements, 17th Avenue Pedestrian Improvements, Award-winning 7th Avenue Pedestrian Improvements and C-train Station Redevelopments, Central Memorial Park Revitalization, St. Patrick's Island Park Redevelopment, Peace Bridge, Stampede Park Revitalization/Youth Campus, New Central Library, National Music Centre of Canada, East Village Development Projects, Olympic Plaza Redevelopment proposal, Art Gallery of Calgary proposal, Main Streets urbanization initiative, West Eau Claire Park redevelopment, Chinatown Revitalization Initiative, International Facilities Project (YYC), New Calgary Arena and Stadium Proposals, and much more
Edmonton: Metro Line LRT, Valley Line LRT, ICE District, Rogers Place Arena, Royal Alberta Museum, Art Gallery of Alberta, Churchill Square revitalization, The Quarters Development Projects, International Airport Expansion (YEG), Blatchfield Airport Redevelopment Plan, Freezeway Proposal, Walterdale Bridge, and much more
Saskatoon: River Landing Project, Saskatoon River Walk, Remai Modern Art Gallery of Saskatchewan, BRT Proposal, Persephone Theatre, International Airport Expansion (YXE), 21 Street East Pedestrian Improvements, North Downtown Master Plan, and much more
Regina: Riders Stadium, Victoria Park Revitalization, 12 Avenue Revitalization, and much more
Winnipeg: Investors Group Field, True North Square, MTS Centre, Winnipeg Convention Centre Expansion, South BRT Phases 1 and 2, and much more
Kitchener: ION LRT, Laurier University Downtown Campus, University of Waterloo Downtown Campus, King Street Pedestrian Improvements, and much more
London: London LRT Proposal, Forks of the Thames redevelopment, and much more
Hamilton: B-Line LRT Proposal, Gore Park Redevelopment, Street Improvements throughout the core, and much more
Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum Expansion, Art Gallery of Ontario Expansion, Spadina Line Subway Expansion, Eglington Crosstown Line, Downtown Relief Line Proposal, Finch LRT Proposal, Scarboro RT Subway Conversion, Yonge Street Improvement proposal, BMO Field Expansion, UP Express, Waterfront Toronto, Sugar Beach, Donlands Redevelopment, Portlands Redevelopment, West Don Lands and East Bayfront Precinct, and much more
Ottawa: Confederation Line LRT, Lebreton Flats Redevelopment proposal, Byward Market transformation, Little Italy Development Projects, New Central Library proposal, Ottawa Convention Centre Expansion, and much more
Montreal: Subway expansion to Laval, New Champlain Bridge, Quartier des Spectacles, Griffintown Development Projects, Turcot Interchange Reconstruction, LRT and Subway expansion proposals, and much more
Quebec City: Videotron Centre Arena, Expansion of Jean Lesage International Airport, and much more
Halifax: Nova Centre, Kings Wharf, and much more.
Obviously I've missed a large number of developments in each city, and have missed quite a few cities as well, so feel free to bring them up, discuss them, and discuss whether or not Canada truly is in the midst of an urban renaissance