Neighbourhoods

The Paramount Importance of Spring Cleaning

Spring is here at last! The season of rebirth, renewal, and… demolition? Yes. It seems that, here in Edmonton, spring has not truly arrived unless...

Whither the urban car lot?

David Mussell, the general manager of Don Wheaton Motors on Edmonton’s Whyte Avenue, says “the tendency [for car dealerships] is to not be downtown...

Towers of Babel

Pax Ethnica: Where and How Diversity Succeeds Author: Karl E. Meyer and Shareen Blair Brysac (Perseus Books 2012) Can’t we all just get along? Well...

Induced Demand: How Edmonton Can Undermine Its LRT Investment

The proposed widening of 75th Street to six lanes as part of the southeast LRT project was recently discussed in an article in the Edmonton Journal. In...

Retail Spaces Sell Cities

Most denizens, visitors and armchair urbanists casually acquainted with the works of Jane Jacobs would agree that the City of Champions suffers from a...

It’s time to quit hating on pedways

Pedways have been built in cities around the world for the same reason: weather. Most, in places like Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei, remove people from...

The Edmonton Streetcar and Its Urban Form: Part 1

Jasper Avenue, Whyte Avenue, 124th Street, Alberta Avenue, 95th Street, 97th Street, 109th Street.  What do all of these streets share in common? The...

Edmonton Today: Street Laundromat

Livability Demands Acceptance

Howard Blackson, Urban Designer and Principal of Placemakers, once said that community character is like pornography: hard to define, but you know when...

Celebrating Blatchford

Did you know that Blatchford field was the world’s busiest airport during World War II? Or that it was Canada’s first public airport in...

This is Edmonton: the Outer Edmonton Project

In January and February of 2013, I drove around the periphery of the southwest corner of Edmonton. Be it driving to work in the area, or visiting friends...

This Is Edmonton: Whyte At Night (Part 2)

Whyte Avenue, Edmonton’s south-of-the-river main street, has long been a gathering place. As an eclectic shopping destination, a Provincial Heritage...