The Official Saint John, NB Project Thread

[Taeolas]

Damn that's a great picture. Almost looks like something out of a video game. I love sunrises/sunsets like that, when the lighting is so different it seems surreal.

[Peter_johnns]

What a great shot, SJ is the urban capital of the province, even rivals Halifax

[KnoxfordGuy]

Ummm...not sure about that one

[Peter_johnns]

Originally Posted by KnoxfordGuy

Ummm...not sure about that one

It really is. I live in Fredericton, and it has nothing on Uptown Saint John

[Fischbob]

Originally Posted by kwajo

No other city in the province has urban areas like this.


Welcome to my Ward. by darkharbour, on Flickr

Photo credit: me.

Fantastic photo!

Originally Posted by Peter_johnns

What a great shot, SJ is the urban capital of the province, even rivals Halifax

Not the Halifax can of worms... we've had enough SJ vs Moncton infighting as it is! But I will say that considering the relative size of SJ, it does punch far above its weight on urbanity in the downtown core. We've got our cluster of 'modern skyscrapers'; several blocks of stunning Victorian residential and commercial buildings; a waterfront promenade/public space; a healthy array of local shops, galleries, bars and restaurants; fantastic urban greenspaces (King's Square, Loyalist Burial Ground, Queen Square) and great entertainment venues in the Imperial Theatre and Harbour Station. There's definitely room for improvement, of course, but we have a whole lot to be proud of in our Uptown that can act as a solid foundation for future development.

[Fischbob]

Also, nice to see us bucking the provincial and national trends and reducing our unemployment rate. Let's hope it keeps dropping!

Saint John’s unemployment rate decreases

SAINT JOHN, N.B. – It’s good news on Saint John’s job scene today.

New Stats Canada numbers show the city’s unemployment numbers decreased in March by .5%.

Saint John’s unemployment rate now stands at 9.1%.

While that may seem high, New Brunswick’s unemployment rate increased to 10.5% last month.

Nationally, Canada’s economy lost 54,500 jobs in March bumping the country’s unemployment rate up to 7.2%.

http://www.news889.com/2013/04/05/saint-johns-unemployment-rate-decreases/

[Wolkenkratzerliebhab]

Originally Posted by kwajo

No other city in the province has urban areas like this.


Welcome to my Ward. by darkharbour, on Flickr

Photo credit: me.

Spectacular!

[Bishop2047]

Saint John has the best uptown (downtown) area in nb by far. Moncton and Freddy are both nice, but they are more or less average for the population. The s.j skyline is quite nice and a real asset.

[KnoxfordGuy]

Originally Posted by Peter_johnns

It really is. I live in Fredericton, and it has nothing on Uptown Saint John

I believe that part yes But, rivals Halifax?

[OliverD]

Originally Posted by peter_johnns

what a great shot, sj is the urban capital of the province, even rivals halifax

lol

[Peter_johnns]

Clearly Halifax beats Saint John and offers much more urban amenities with much more commercial and high density developments. But I think there is something to be said about what Saint John does have and is comparable to Halifax.
Happy Tartan Day folks!

[Joe]

Kind of looks like an entrance to a subway station

Photo by Mike Capson flickr

[Fischbob]

Originally Posted by Joe

Kind of looks like an entrance to a subway station

I've always thought the same thing! Another subway station-esque place is the stairway down to the Prince Edward Square parking garage.

We should make some fantasy subway maps for SJ!

[WilJai]

Does anyone know what is happenening with the empty lot next to tops on the union st side? There was a huge tractor put beside it this weekend..

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Fischbob

Another subway station-esque place is the stairway down to the Prince Edward Square parking garage.

I love that area.

Originally Posted by WilJai

Does anyone know what is happenening with the empty lot next to tops on the union st side? There was a huge tractor put beside it this weekend..

That's interesting.

[Fischbob]

Originally Posted by Fischbob

We should make some fantasy subway maps for SJ!

Because I have nothing better to do than procrastinate tonight, here's a rough higher-order transit network for a hypothetical future (and much more populous) SJ: http://goo.gl/maps/O1ldz

My intention was to serve and connect all the primary centres, urban intensification areas, and regional retail centres identified in PlanSJ, so its service patterns assume future urbanization and densification in places like the UNBSJ Plateau, Crescent Valley, the Uptown Waterfront and both Main Streets. I laid out the lines as though they would be heavy rail subways, and underground for their entire length. Things would probably differ significantly, envisioning the network as above-ground LRT.

[HardTruth]

SAINT JOHN 2050


RIP Coleson Cove 2025

Due to wild price fluctuations in fuel price, and detriment to environment.

RIP Irving Pulp and Paper 2030

Due to the continued decline of paper media. Layoffs and pay freezes now are forecasting a gloomy future.

RIP Point Lepreau 2040

The public will not stand for another lengthy and costly refurb.

RIP IOL Refinery 2050

With oil surplus in US and Canada even now due to decreasing demand the future looks bleak. Cars will continue to become more fuel efficient every year, and eventually hybrids or other "super efficient gas" or even gas free vehicles will be the norm. A new pipeline in 2020 will provide some jobs during construction and help line some pockets thicker briefly once complete, but not even the Irvings can stop the trends we already see today.

My dates are obviously rough, but in all seriousness what will the city be like after these plants inivetibaly shut down?

[Helladog]

Originally Posted by HardTruth

SAINT JOHN 2050


RIP Coleson Cove 2025

Due to wild price fluctuations in fuel price, and detriment to environment.

RIP Irving Pulp and Paper 2030

Due to the continued decline of paper media. Layoffs and pay freezes now are forecasting a gloomy future.

RIP Point Lepreau 2040

The public will not stand for another lengthy and costly refurb.

RIP IOL Refinery 2050

With oil surplus in US and Canada even now due to decreasing demand the future looks bleak. Cars will continue to become more fuel efficient every year, and eventually hybrids or other "super efficient gas" or even gas free vehicles will be the norm. A new pipeline in 2020 will provide some jobs during construction and help line some pockets thicker briefly once complete, but not even the Irvings can stop the trends we already see today.

My dates are obviously rough, but in all seriousness what will the city be like after these plants inivetibaly shut down?

Re: Point Lepreau

You may have some good points here, but we will still need power plants of large scale to compensate for the influx of electric cars. The current reactor won't make it to a refurb, but possibly a second one in it's place. Cold fusion maybe?

[KnoxfordGuy]

Saint John needs to diversify.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by KnoxfordGuy

Saint John needs to diversify.

Every city in NB has it's own particular niche. Saint John needs to build on it's own particular strengths. This includes the port, heavy industry and the energy sector. At the same time however, you can't put all your eggs in one basket and prudent diversification into other sectors of the economy only makes sense.....