Edmonton Construction 9 (2008-08)

[Simon Speichert]

Folks should keep in mind as well that the person in the original article ISN'T in a brand new neighbourhood - he's in Knottwood, which is 40 years old. The south end of Mill Woods backs onto the Henday as well. My parents live in Knottwood and while they aren't close enough to hear the Henday, those on the southern edge certainly can. People who spout off about the "suburban lifestyle" should realize there's a giant difference between well-planned communities like Mill Woods and the 🞵🞵🞵🞵 that's being built currently.

[christopherj]

Originally Posted by IKAN104

Holy 🞵🞵🞵🞵 man! Why is everybody who doesn't live in the centre villified? Do you have any idea what a new house in the centre costs? There's a reason people move to the suburbs and it's not because they like the commute. It's a matter of cost and choice. Not everybody can or wants to live in a 30 year old downtown apartment or 60 year old neighbourhood.

It's perfectly legitimate to want to live in a new house, they're just very hard to find anywhere near the centre of the city. And if you do find one it will cost twice as much as the same house in the suburbs.

You seem to think you're doing society a favour by not buying a house in the burbs. Well thank you so much your highness. You are truly a good person. But people have different circumstances and reasons for doing what they do. Although it may appeal to you or I, not everybody wants to drive a Porsche 911 and not everybody wants to live in a downtown condo.

Great post.

I don't want a 60 year old house - I want something somewhat modern (sorry, I'm not the type of guy who can fix up a place). But anything modern near downtown is way out of my range. I'm not even expecting the same thing I'd get in a new suburb - I'd take a well layed out modern town home over a large brand new house.

So until then - I'll take that new house on the outskirts of town.

[Xelebes]

I have too many traumatic memories of Knottwood.

[CMD UW]

Originally Posted by Simon Speichert

Folks should keep in mind as well that the person in the original article ISN'T in a brand new neighbourhood - he's in Knottwood, which is 40 years old. The south end of Mill Woods backs onto the Henday as well. My parents live in Knottwood and while they aren't close enough to hear the Henday, those on the southern edge certainly can. People who spout off about the "suburban lifestyle" should realize there's a giant difference between well-planned communities like Mill Woods and the 🞵🞵🞵🞵 that's being built currently.

Did you just say 'well planned' community for Millwoods? Are you serious? It is a keystone example of suburban planning.

[0773|=\]

http://www.thelivingwall.net/

Apparently they're trying this out in Toronto. Maybe this is an option that residents could get behind with their own dollars.

[tallisgood]

Originally Posted by IKAN104

You seem to think you're doing society a favour by not buying a house in the burbs. Well thank you so much your highness. You are truly a good person.

I don't know if this is old news, but I heard there is a twin of the Merridian planned North of the current project... someone please tell me this was just a bad dream!

[tallisgood]

Originally Posted by IKAN104

Holy 🞵🞵🞵🞵 man! Why is everybody who doesn't live in the centre villified? Do you have any idea what a new house in the centre costs? There's a reason people move to the suburbs and it's not because they like the commute. It's a matter of cost and choice. Not everybody can or wants to live in a 30 year old downtown apartment or 60 year old neighbourhood.

Yup. Creating a self-righteous hatefest twoards working-class suburbanites doesn't help anything. However, I do think the costs of providing services and infrastructure to outlying communities should be reflected in the property taxes of those communities. Fair is fair.

[newfangled]

There's a For Sale sign on the old Husky lot at Jasper/116. I think it must have gone up in the past few days.

[feepa]

Originally Posted by IKAN104

And besides, if a freeway was built through the middle of the city as was planned many years ago you can be sure that nearby residents would want satifactory noise attenuation there too.

If this is the case, please put some satisfactory noise attenuation on Jasper Ave. I'll also take a side order of noise attenuation on the high level bridge. Especially during the summer. I can hear bikes ripping up and down both, and other noises from vehicles too.

<expected response> But you choose to live downtown area...

<my then response> You choose to live next to a planned freeway. That freeway has been planned just as long as Millwoods/Knottwood has been planned for. Same with all neighbourhoods that border the Anthony Henday.

[GoMod]

Originally Posted by Simon Speichert

Folks should keep in mind as well that the person in the original article ISN'T in a brand new neighbourhood - he's in Knottwood, which is 40 years old. The south end of Mill Woods backs onto the Henday as well. My parents live in Knottwood and while they aren't close enough to hear the Henday, those on the southern edge certainly can. People who spout off about the "suburban lifestyle" should realize there's a giant difference between well-planned communities like Mill Woods and the 🞵🞵🞵🞵 that's being built currently.

Originally Posted by CMD UW

Did you just say 'well planned' community for Millwoods? Are you serious? It is a keystone example of suburban planning.

Let me add, the ultimate, the worst and most extreme example of not just suburban planning, but any planning whatsoever.

[CMD UW]

Originally Posted by GoMod

Let me add, the ultimate, the worst and most extreme example of not just suburban planning, but any planning whatsoever.

Depends on what perspective.

From a built form and overall design perspective yes. However, from a land use perspective, Millwoods provides a diverse range of housing types from singles to walk-up apartments, owner-occupied to rentals, market rate to affordable / low income housing. A philosophy used by many of todays new urbanists.

[IKAN104]

Originally Posted by feepa

If this is the case, please put some satisfactory noise attenuation on Jasper Ave. I'll also take a side order of noise attenuation on the high level bridge. Especially during the summer. I can hear bikes ripping up and down both, and other noises from vehicles too.

<expected response> But you choose to live downtown area...

<my then response> You choose to live next to a planned freeway. That freeway has been planned just as long as Millwoods/Knottwood has been planned for. Same with all neighbourhoods that border the Anthony Henday.

That would not have been my response. I would've said that I'm not sure traffic noise is as great downtown as it is near a freeway. And if it is, then it's just not feasible to do anything about it. Along a freeway there is at least the option of putting up a wall or berm. You can't do that downtown.

In addition, the city did put up a great big noise wall along 97th street when the road was widened a few years ago. There's also a noise wall around the Mayfield neighbourhood on the north and west. Noise walls also exist along groat road between 111th and 107th Aves.

In other words, where it is reasonable to do so there is precedent for putting up noise attenuation, regardless of what part of the city you live in.

Having said that, I am not demanding a wall around my neighbourhood because I did make the choice to buy near the TUC and I knew that we would get freeway noise, but I do hope and somewhat expect that the province will do whatever is reasonable to mitigate the noise as much as possible. And I don't think a wall is unreasonable.

My rant was not really about the noise anyway, it had more to do with the "good people downtown vs. the evil suburbanites" mentality that I find too often on this board.

[Dave D.]

I haven't heard anything about the Strathearn redevelopment proposal lately. Is it dead with the current state of the economy? I surely hope not.

[dancinb]

In the book "I, Robot", one of the philosophical ideas brought up is that (and I would quote if I had the book in front of me) humans, in their infinite naivity, tend to only believe that what they know, is good.

I would argue that most (if not, a large percentage of) North Americans grew up in a suburb, with a house and a yard. This is what they grew up with and therefore all they know. I know - I was (am) one of them.

Before I was essentially forced (by a lack of income) to live in an apartment for the last 6 years, I would never have chosen to live in anything but a house. People (yes I'm generalizing) tend to think that if they had a yard growing up, their children need yards to grow up in to be happy. The cynical side of me says that children (grown up or not) aren't going to be happy, regardless of how much yard there is or how big their bedroom is, if those parameters are what they're basing their happiness on.

Wow - I have a lot to say on this matter.

My point is, it's not the suburbanite that I have a problem with, it's the human characteristic of believing that "only what you know, is good" manifesting itself in believing that you need a house with a yard to have a happy life.

I for one am a suburbanite at heart, contently living in a highrise apartment in Edmonton that offers me more than a house ever could at this point in my life.

[GoMod]

http://www.evolo-arch.com/ (Click on the >09 Skyscraper Competition Winners link on the site to view winning submissions)

[GoMod]

Note to self...No fireworks displays next to skyscrapers.

• Video Link

• Video Link

Aftermath...

• Video Link

[mick]

Many of those Skyscraper award winners show a definite hadid influence.

[GoMod]

Originally Posted by CMD UW

Depends on what perspective.

From a built form and overall design perspective yes. However, from a land use perspective, Millwoods provides a diverse range of housing types from singles to walk-up apartments, owner-occupied to rentals, market rate to affordable / low income housing. A philosophy used by many of todays new urbanists.

Perspective?...As in whenever i find myself in the area, my acute senses feel pillaged and consequently, i find myself searching for the nearest way out of that desolute environment.

Aesthetics aside, diverse range of housing is good, but without the other crucial uses such as work places, a dignified public realm of buildings, streets, parks and squares (which i think Millwoods is completely devoid of) - you're left with just a depressing bedroom suburb...

[GoMod]

Originally Posted by mick

Many of those Skyscraper award winners show a definite hadid influence.

not sure if you think that's a good thing or not. Hadid seems tame compared to these proposals. i can't help but think that most of those submissions are pretty grim...no?

[wco]

RE: Ironwood

I realize your post is a few days old Cold, but I received an email response to my request for any possible rendering updates from HIP today and he stated that their drawings are complete and construction could start on fairly short notice from the owner.

Oh, and they sent me this. No change though.

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Does anyone have:

1. updated pictures of Quest
2. updated pictures of Icon
3. more info on Ironwood's tower

thank you in advance