Quote:
Originally Posted by feepa
Winnipeg, Hamilton, Quebec City, Ottawa.
Austin, SLC, OKC, and although bigger: Minneapolis, Denver.
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Winnipeg ok, and I even did a comparison. Winnipeg is churning out some great quality projects.
Hamilton? That one doesn't make any sense. The only connection really is that both have well regarded universities and a large blue collar base. However, the economies of both cities are rather different and Hamilton is under a gigantic shadow that needs not mentioning. Not to mention an older city which has better existing urban fabric to draw upon.
Quebec City? Much too old to be a realistic comparison to Edmonton. Different culture, population, laws, etc.
Ottawa is a decent city to compare to, if only because they both are nearly identical in size and in the same country. However, as I already mentioned, it is an older city which has a larger area that is urban rather than suburban, better urban fabric. Not to mention, it is the national capital, and with that comes perks that only other capitals and cities much larger than Ottawa can get.
Austin isn't bad, but the climate is totally different. The types of construction that is easy to do in Austin may be harder/costlier/less realistic in Edmonton, but correct if wrong. Being an American city, it is also subject to a different culture/mentality, laws, etc. We don't have interstates near our downtown like Austin does.
Salt Lake City is a good city to compare to, but it seems noticeably less urban. The geography is also different, not that in this case it makes a huge difference. The climate is similar though. But again, American city. Apples to oranges.
Oklahoma City I don't really know much about. But still American city. Minneapolis and Denver are also American and as you mention, much larger. It's like comparing Edmonton to Vancouver or Toronto. Unrealistic. Minneapolis and Denver have more people to support urban developments and a larger talent pool to draw from.
EDIT: Note: It's not that a comparison to Hamilton or Denver or Quebec City shouldn't be made and what works there can work in Edmonton sometimes, it's just that Calgary is very best city to compare Edmonton to because of how similar it is. You may find comparisons to Calgary annoying, but maybe there's a reason it's compared to so much. 95%+ of what works in Calgary could work in Edmonton. I find it strange how Vancouver is a city of comparison almost as much as Calgary, but people don't seem to have such emotion against the comparison as with Calgary comparisons.
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