Iqaluit, Nunavut - Canada's Arctic Capital

[Gitfiddler]

Iqaluit is the is the capital city of Nunavut, one of three northern territories in Canada. Nunavut was created in 1999 by dividing the Northwest Territories. Iqaluit is the largest city and has a population of approximately 7,500. It is located on Baffin Island, on Frobisher Bay. Iqaluit originated as a US military facility in WWII. Since its designation as a territorial capital it been undergoing a huge growth cycle. The majority of the population is Inuit.

This was my first trip to Iqaluit. Can't wait to go back!

[mrnyc]

so lonely...

so scared...

lol! but seriously great shots. you can't help but think about the large and relatively unknown northermost parts of the world everytime you look at a map.

what brought you there? business or curiosity?

thx for showing us iqaluit!

[SignalHillHiker]

Great pictures. I have a cousin (Met Tech) stationed in Alert right now. She's been to Iqaluit many times.

[FrAnKs]

THIS was incredibly interresting ! It's very odd for me that a city that size could be found there! ... Btw, there is absolutely no paved roads there ?? ... And oh, just to be sure you're in Canada, a Tim Hortons, for Suuuure !! lol

[fern]

Now there's something you don't see everyday . Very interesting

[ColDayMan]

Now THAT is isolation!

[Gitfiddler]

Thanks for the comments. The photos of the tundra outside of the community don't begin to do it justice. I was there for work, so I didn't have a whole ton of time to take a look around.

FrAnks - there are a couple of paved roads there, in the downtown area. But it's mostly dirt. All of the roads are in terrible shape.

[MolsonExport]

very, very interesting collection of photos. post more if you got 'em.

[Mister F]

Fascinating photos. When I see pictures of Iqaluit it always strikes me how bleak and ugly the place is. Dirt and mud everywhere and basically no landscaping or paving, even around the most important buildings. It might sound harsh but to me it looks more like a refugee camp or a colony on the moon than a capital in one of the world's richest countries. Looking at pictures of towns in Greenland, the difference is like night and day.

[arkitekte]

Barren, isolated, but very interesting. Thanks for posting these.

[Ch.G, Ch.G]

No way! I just spent an hour or so reading about northern capital cities the other day! Thanks for the photos.

[Gitfiddler]

Originally Posted by Mister F

Fascinating photos. When I see pictures of Iqaluit it always strikes me how bleak and ugly the place is. Dirt and mud everywhere and basically no landscaping or paving, even around the most important buildings. It might sound harsh but to me it looks more like a refugee camp or a colony on the moon than a capital in one of the world's richest countries. Looking at pictures of towns in Greenland, the difference is like night and day.

It's kind of hard to landscape where grass and trees don't grow. Paving is extremely expensive and needs to be replaced much more quickly in that climate. It's also important to remember that Iqaluit wasn't even founded until WWII and started off as a US military base. Since it became the capital of Nunavut it has more than doubled in size, so just keeping up with construction of housing and the related infrastructure for new residents and business has been the priority.

Comparitively, Greenland's capital (Nuuk) has been around since the 1880's and has a warmer climate.

Iqaluit might not seem like much through photos. It's quite different to be there. It's sort of a northern Ontario reserve meets Newfoundland fishing village.

[isaidso]

Quite disappointed that they simply imported a southern Canadian vernacular in the architecture rather than taking indigenous designs and developing a modern take on it. Buildings need to speak to your own culture, not someone else's. That said, I do love this building for what it is not. In addition, it reminds me of that human colony in the movie Aliens. Very cool!

[pallo]

Originally Posted by Gitfiddler

Thanks for the comments. The photos of the tundra outside of the community don't begin to do it justice. I was there for work, so I didn't have a whole ton of time to take a look around.

FrAnks - there are a couple of paved roads there, in the downtown area. But it's mostly dirt. All of the roads are in terrible shape.

I think this city looks much better in winter when it's all covered in snow

[Mister F]

Originally Posted by Gitfiddler

It's kind of hard to landscape where grass and trees don't grow. Paving is extremely expensive and needs to be replaced much more quickly in that climate. It's also important to remember that Iqaluit wasn't even founded until WWII and started off as a US military base. Since it became the capital of Nunavut it has more than doubled in size, so just keeping up with construction of housing and the related infrastructure for new residents and business has been the priority.

Comparitively, Greenland's capital (Nuuk) has been around since the 1880's and has a warmer climate.

Iqaluit might not seem like much through photos. It's quite different to be there. It's sort of a northern Ontario reserve meets Newfoundland fishing village.

Trees may not grow but there's still plenty of vegetation in those photos. Surely there are landscape architects who can do something with plants native to the area. And the age of the community just sounds like an excuse - it doesn't take centuries to pave a street. Paving might be expensive but that hasn't stopped other countries from doing it. Yakutsk, Russia is also built on permafrost and has far larger variations in temperature and significantly colder winters. And it looks like this:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Yakutsk_1_%28synchroswimr%29.jpg

Surely something can be done with the way Iqaluit looks. Is it an issue of federal funding? Local government priorities? Apathy?

[Rico Rommheim]

Originally Posted by Mister F

Surely something can be done with the way Iqaluit looks. Is it an issue of federal funding? Local government priorities? Apathy?

Probably all of the above?

You brought some good points. Clearly, there has never been proper urbanism in that city, it looks very 'colonial' and back water-ish. But I see it as a wider Canadian trend, I mean, newer Canadian cities in the south don't look so hot either.

[rockyi]

Bleak but interesting place. Farther east than I would have thought. Thanks for posting!

[R@ptor]

I'm pretty sure the landscape is impressive, but the city itself looks depressing to say the least.

[M II A II R II K]

It's more of an outpost, and a hub for connecting flights.

[kcexpress69]

Nice thread!! Definately waaaaaaay out there!!