starring….the Alberta Ave building

Global TV was broadcasting live from Alberta Avenue last week and our renovated building was featured as a backdrop to its tenant, Bedouin Beats.  Go to minute 1:15 in this video to see (you’ll have to wait through an advertisement first) …  http://www.globaltvedmonton.com/video/index.html?releasePID=ztu4nxg0GSMCE17cG1O_AQBJmX2TKJbd We’re thrilled to be contributing to the revitalization of the Ave!

the way we live

I attended a workshop yesterday held by the City of Edmonton as part of the development of their long-term strategic plan for people services.  The conversation focused on how places + spaces contribute to our life in Edmonton and was engaging + thought-provoking.  The overarching concern, interestingly, was sustainability and how that affects everything we do, plan and envision.  Without a sustainable intent, people services be they policing, parks or facilities are doomed to fail. 

An example of this theme was heard in the agreement that people places first need to reinforce and support a community at a local level.  There was general concern that the multiplex model, while fiscally efficient, contributes to vehicle use, isolation + homogeneity.  In contrast, the traditional model of school/community league/playground/rink and/or playing fields reinforces community connections through its intimate scale that encourages neighborhood gatherings, cross-generational interaction and accessible fitness.  Granted, this model cannot exist in isolation of other opportunities provided by swimming pools + larger facilities.  But it should not be discarded in favour of a one-size-fits-all solution. 

Another discussion theme revolved around creating a “geography of place” for Edmonton.  In contrast to the “placeless-ness” exhibited by many North American cities, including Edmonton’s suburbs, a geography of place would create an immediately identifiable urban fabric.  It would be rooted in this northern landscape, connected by the river + ravines, informed by the plants, animals + ecosystems that sustain the city and acknowledge history and first peoples.  Places + spaces that evolve out of the region will have more poetry, identity and meaning than ideas + designs transplanted from distant cities.  Start and the river and work out along the ravines.  Protect those sacred spaces, daylight buried waterways, rejuvenate lost land, honor precious arable soil.  Celebrate winter.  Protect dark skies.  Revel in long summer days. 

Dream a magic city.  Make it happen.