Future Canadian Skylines - Page 174

Mrs Sauga · #**3461** Posted **Jun 27, 2015, 8:40 PM**

Calgary has nice skyscrapers but in terms of street level and urbanity, it isn't much better than Edmonton...

Black Star · #**3462** Posted **Jun 27, 2015, 8:46 PM**

^^clown shoes you still here lol

Trans Canada · #**3463** Posted **Jun 27, 2015, 8:46 PM**

^^ Calgary's core is much more built up (much larger core, less empty lots though they still exist) but as you say the urbanity or pedestrian experience is still quite poor. Both Calgary and Edmonton have a number of higher quality urban/pedestrian areas outside their core.

edit - removed bit

Beedok · #**3464** Posted **Jun 27, 2015, 8:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrs Sauga

Calgary has nice skyscrapers but in terms of street level and urbanity, it isn't much better than Edmonton...

I didn't get out of either down town too much, but Calgary's downtown felt a lot like Ottawa if every building was 2-3x taller. The 15+ network was a good addition though.

They were interesting on the China Town front. Calgary has a mall, Edmonton has parking lots. Then Winnipeg had . . . a parkade?

WhipperSnapper · #**3465** Posted **Jun 27, 2015, 8:55 PM**

I probably would agree 15 years ago but it wasn't close the last I was in Edmonton 3 years ago. Today, I don't know if Whyte would still rank as the best. Even for festivals it's probably a lot harder to pick a clear winner.

There's just so many more people in downtown Calgary at any given moment compared to a decade ago. Didn't really feel that much of a noticeable change in Edmonton between visits. Mind you the boom is now but, aside from the once in a lifetime Arena District, is it all that significant?

middeljohn · #**3466** Posted **Jun 28, 2015, 4:01 AM**

Edmonton doesn't have as many tall buildings as Calgary but the downtown is pretty large for a city of its size. I also find DT Edmonton to be more lively after work as there are more residential neighbourhoods intertwined with the commercial core. I went to Stephen Ave once on a Saturday and every bar was closing its doors at 5pm because it wasn't busy enough. I've never experienced this in Edmonton. DT bars are generally packed on the weekends.

ciudad_del_norte · #**3467** Posted **Jun 28, 2015, 5:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beedok

I didn't get out of either down town too much, but Calgary's downtown felt a lot like Ottawa if every building was 2-3x taller. The 15+ network was a good addition though.

They were interesting on the China Town front. Calgary has a mall, Edmonton has parking lots. Then Winnipeg had . . . a parkade?

A bit off topic, but it sounds like you were in old china town. The commercial aspect of china town shifted north along 97 street for multiple (somewhat controversial) reasons. What remains in the old area is the Harbin (Chinatown) Gate to parking lots, and some Chinese community housing.

mintzilla · #**3468** Posted **Jun 28, 2015, 10:34 AM**

Another threads devolves into the typical city versus city BS...

Beedok · #**3469** Posted **Jun 28, 2015, 1:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ciudad_del_norte

A bit off topic, but it sounds like you were in old china town. The commercial aspect of china town shifted north along 97 street for multiple (somewhat controversial) reasons. What remains in the old area is the Harbin (Chinatown) Gate to parking lots, and some Chinese community housing.

I did not know. I was just wandering around the downtown.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mintzilla

Another threads devolves into the typical city versus city BS...

I've tried to avoid that. I just want to discuss each city as it is.

koops65 · #**3470** Posted **Jun 28, 2015, 4:48 PM**

What we need is a new, awesome, future city skyline render... something else to discuss other than Alberta boosterism...

O-tacular · #**3471** Posted **Jun 28, 2015, 6:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by middeljohn

Edmonton doesn't have as many tall buildings as Calgary but the downtown is pretty large for a city of its size. I also find DT Edmonton to be more lively after work as there are more residential neighbourhoods intertwined with the commercial core. I went to Stephen Ave once on a Saturday and every bar was closing its doors at 5pm because it wasn't busy enough. I've never experienced this in Edmonton. DT bars are generally packed on the weekends.

How many years ago was that? As WhipperSnapper pointed out this has completely changed in recent years. There is no way you'd go to Stephen Ave today and find it empty on a Sat night.

MacLac · #**3472** Posted **Jun 28, 2015, 9:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spring2008

Their inner-city's great if you're into gravel lots, scrap yard architecture, and crumbling infrastructure though lol.

Was just there a month ago, wasn't really surprised in how little has changed. Couldn't wait to leave.

My thoughts exactly! Couldn't wait for you to leave....do us a favor....don't come back...later

LeTravailleur · #**3473** Posted **Jun 29, 2015, 3:57 AM**

I already showed a montage picturing what the Montmorency station surroundings could look like in a few years.
This is a new one I made quickly (it's quite rough, not 100% accurate obviously), as seen from Du Souvenir bypass over A15 (Google Maps, summer 2014 I think).

This includes the three projects I know (Urbania 2, Espace Montmorency and Place Bell). Quite a big change, isn't it?

SkahHigh · #**3474** Posted **Jun 29, 2015, 4:22 AM**

^this is great for Laval. Unfortunately, the Eye of Sauron still stands...

HomeInMyShoes · #**3475** Posted **Jun 29, 2015, 2:36 PM**

^As well it is unfortunate that nothing seems to be able to block views of it.

O-tacular · #**3476** Posted **Jun 29, 2015, 3:08 PM**

Yeah, the clock tower of doom still commands the most attention. Short of building a new tower on every side of it to block it from view from every angle I'm not sure anything can save the skyline.

middeljohn · #**3477** Posted **Jun 29, 2015, 3:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by O-tacular

How many years ago was that? As WhipperSnapper pointed out this has completely changed in recent years. There is no way you'd go to Stephen Ave today and find it empty on a Sat night.

Summer last year. It may have been a Sunday though now that I think about it. Did go to 17th Ave same night though and it was lively as per usual.

It's just getting tiresome hearing Calgarians constantly bash Edmonton as if the two cities are that different. They are much more similar to each other than either of them are to any other cities on this planet. Calgary probably has a little more hipster appeal with more artsy neighbourhoods, but Edmonton has a little more functional appeal with a more logical street network and as a result a little bit more multinodal.

It comes down to preference. Calgary wants Toronto's downtown, but to do that all the commercial big-hitters need to be downtown meaning the majority of the population has long distances to travel in the morning. Edmonton's downtown is an appropriate size for its population and as a result has enough big hitters left who can fill up other commercial areas resulting in shorter commutes for a larger percentage of the population.

But the above paragraphs also exaggerates the differences between the cities. The two cities are neck and neck for worst sprawl in the country. Both cities have numerous arterial roads far wider than necessary. And both cities are aggressively investing to change the automobile culture. Both cities have heavily oil-dependent economies. Both cities are built around a river. People in both cities have mostly identical hobbies and common interests. Both cities are in prairie transition areas, although what they transition into is different. The two cities have a very similar climate minus the 30-35 days Calgary gets a chinook. Both cities have overpriced food and underpriced energy. Both cities are magnets in attracting young Canadians. Both cities are fiscally conservative. Both cities have gone through a period of rapid growth and are working towards getting the infrastructure and housing caught up. Both cities are currently building a ring road. Both cities are very young. Both cities have rapidly increased their visible minority populations and are both currently at ~30%.

Edmonton and Calgary aren't identical but they are very very similar and people in both cities tend to forget that and instead focus on the differences, which are far fewer than the similarities.

Calgarian · #**3478** Posted **Jun 29, 2015, 4:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beedok

I didn't get out of either down town too much, but Calgary's downtown felt a lot like Ottawa if every building was 2-3x taller. The 15+ network was a good addition though.

They were interesting on the China Town front. Calgary has a mall, Edmonton has parking lots. Then Winnipeg had . . . a parkade?

I had the same feeling in Ottawa, it's core felt pretty similar to Calgary's, just shorter.

Edmonton has potential, it has just languished a bit over the last couple decades, so without any driving force behind a renewal, things just popped up to fill space. Now that the renewal is full steam, things should change quite quickly. Edmonton has the opportunity to be a great city, and I think things are going in the right direction, finally!

Daveography · #**3479** Posted **Jun 29, 2015, 4:27 PM**

^ For me it's not so much the Edmonton-Calgary rivalry, as how often someone just feels the need to randomly remind us after that one brief visit that yes, we still have a lot of parking lots downtown, or yes, our China Gate doesn't lead to our actual Chinatown, or yes, our downtown isn't bursting with urbanity. As though we don't already know these things or that they haven't been changing and continue to change.

Pro tip: You're not being being helpful, you're being condescending.

It's especially frustrating because those of us who live here know how bad it was in the past, and how much better it has become, and how many more good things are coming. But despite that, and our attempts to share what we know with our fellow forumers, folks still like to constantly remind us of that one time they visited and saw parking lots.

(Thanks! We didn't know about those parking lots! We'll get right on that for you!)

Calgarian · #**3480** Posted **Jun 29, 2015, 4:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by middeljohn

Edmonton and Calgary aren't identical but they are very very similar and people in both cities tend to forget that and instead focus on the differences, which are far fewer than the similarities.

Pretty much. Calgary and Edmonton have been basically the same size for a long time, any time something new starts up in one city, the other usually gets it right after. There isn't much that you can do in one city that you can't in the other, only distinct advantage Calgary has is the mountains and Banff, so there are always more tourists here.