Quote:
Originally Posted by DizzyEdge
What's interesting about Airdrie of course is it doesn't *really* have a downtown. As late as the 1950s it was about about 3x6 blocks in size (the entire municipality, not the downtown) with a population 1000 people or less. Then in the 70s? or 80s it exploded, and rather than the tiny mainstreet of barely a block gradually expanding, instead they just built a shopping mall next door. Very curious to see if it gains proper downtown as it approaches 100,000 people.
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The population of a town is one factor in determining how it develops but I think it's ~20% of the story even though here on SSP it tends to be treated as though it is ~80% of the story. Or better yet maybe population could be thought of as necessary but not sufficient, or a kind of potential energy for developing a city that can be channelled to great effect or to almost zero positive effect if what we're after is interesting urban character.
If there is no pressure, desire, or planning ability to create a vibrant urban core or good neighbourhoods then it's not going to happen, regardless of how many people move to Airdrie. It will just be built around cars and everything will be new subdivisions, box retail, and office parks. If there is a path to developing these things then it doesn't depend on adding tens of thousands of new people.
There are lots of great towns that have 5,000 people or 50,000 people. There are lots of boring generic sprawls with hundreds of thousands or millions of people in them.