Quote:
Originally Posted by ue
Winnipeg's downtown also suffered a similar blow. I don't think Vancouver's downtown was doing so hot either until Expo 86, though someone can correct that if I'm misinformed.
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Winnipeg's downtown didn't get hit as hard as Edmonton... we had our equivalent to Kingsway (Polo Park) being semi-downtown, but we never had a mammoth WEM or the prospect of Portage Avenue being dug up. We also had more employment (as a percentage of the whole) concentrated downtown. Yet while downtown Edmonton really rebounded during the 2000s, downtown Winnipeg stayed in the doldrums for much longer... one could argue that it still hasn't rebounded. Edmonton's downtown resurgence is really quite enviable.
MolsonEx makes a good point too regarding population growth...obviously an inflow helps, but it could have just as easily happened that all Edmonton's growth could have been concentrated in the suburbs. The fact that they were able to draw people and development to downtown and surrounding areas is really to their credit.
By contrast, Winnipeg's population has been growing ever since a couple of minor dips in the mid-late 90s, but very very little of that has taken place downtown. I can count on one hand the number of new residential buildings over 5 storeys that have been built in the past decade in downtown Winnipeg, although fortunately that is changing with a few under construction and a few more in the pipeline right now.
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