Quote:
Originally Posted by RWin
To me, it seems saying something like "are we changing enough to keep pace with other countries" is a fairly typical Canadian thing to say. My take on it is that we're insecure. We like to stand out in the world and we just don't. For that matter we like to stand out in our own country. In my city, we are building the tallest building in Canada (outside of Toronto that is - and now Edmonton is beating us at that). Same sort of thing. Kind of bragging about second place. Or keeping up with the Joneses.
Maybe we should look to other countries for inspiration rather than competition. And not care too much about what the rest of the world thinks.
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Great post. I think it's normal to want the best for your city, and it's definitely wise (recommended, really) to look outside of Canada for ideas about that can be - but we're never going to out-London London, or out-New York New York. And we shouldn't want to do.
Every city needs its own thing, that springs from its own culture - and then you'll know where to turn for inspiration. Compared to the Canadian cities I've visited, for example, we do the arts exceptionally well - especially music, theatre, and comedy. All three are genuine, deeply rooted in the local culture, effortless, and everywhere. So we should be looking to places like Broadway, Edinburgh Fringe Fest, and Dublin - what are they doing that we can emulate, even at our population? That's where we'll find the ideas, including urban planning, that will complement our culture and life.