Urban vs Suburban - 2 styles enter, one style leaves!

[Me&You]

Originally Posted by kw5150

According to the article, 22% still preferred the urban lifestyle; that is a large number of people.....nice!
Another miss for the sun newspaper. I would have been one of those people that said I wanted a house when I was 20 years old.......

Live close to where you work (when you can) is the golden rule. Traffic chaos has not been a part of my life for almost 15 years now. That is 5475 days I have not had to be in rush hour twice per day.

I love the amount of time I save by living close to work. In a case such as yours, the point is really driven home (pun intended).

In your example above, if you spent a not-uncommon 45 minutes commuting each way, each day (more like 3600 work days), that's 225 DAYS you've not spent sitting in traffic! DAYS.

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by Me&You

I love the amount of time I save by living close to work. In a case such as yours, the point is really driven home (pun intended).

In your example above, if you spent a not-uncommon 45 minutes commuting each way, each day (more like 3600 work days), that's 225 DAYS you've not spent sitting in traffic! DAYS.

That's one of the reason many hundreds of thousands of Calgarians refuse taking jobs in downtown. why would be want to get stuck sitting in traffic?

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by fusili

In fact, suburban neighbourhood bars can be a lot worse, depending on the lifecycle of the neighbourhood. There is a point where the youth get to be just drinking age, and they start to go out to the neighbourhood bars. Because those bars rarely get any business, they tend to turn a blind eye to fake IDs, etc. As well, because they are so scattered, they are difficult to police. The recipe of young, non-university aged drinkers, high school drama spilling over into the bar, bars needing customers and little police surveillance, leads to a lot of problems.

I dunno, in my experience underaged drinkers are never much of a problem. It's guys in their early 20s who really ramp up the stupidity to levels where we need to discuss things like policing, and alcohol control laws. And I grew up in an era when underaged drinking was a lot more common than it is today - no one had a policy of "we ID if you look under 40" 20 years ago. I've been going to bars since I was 15 - ah, the good old days.

Speaking of binge drinking being the actual problem here - holy crap, I actually had to leave the Flames game mid-game last night. Let's just say someone couldn't handle his alcohol, and he was a big enough guy that the large popcorn bags couldn't hold it all. We were lucky enough to not be splashed on, but at least 20 people that I counted weren't. I would have beaten the shit out of the guy if we were in that group (well I probably would have gotten my ass kicked, but I would have been furious). As it was, nearly 2 entire sections started leaving just due to the smell alone. I can't really describe how horrific the scene was, in a visual/auditory/olfactory sense. I still haven't been able to eat anything. Anyone who's seen Stand By Me can at least have a basic idea - although as far as I could tell, no one else got sick. It was just all one guy.

Ah, the 'bleeds when the Oilers come to town. Such fun. To be fair, the guy had a Flames jersey on so he's just a pure asshole.

I still can't believe just how stupid some people are with alcohol, and I say this as a life-long moderately heavy drinker.

Edit: I didn't think to ask him if he was from the suburbs or inner city.

[lubicon]

Originally Posted by suburbia

That's one of the reason many hundreds of thousands of Calgarians refuse taking jobs in downtown. why would be want to get stuck sitting in traffic?

I remember the good old days when I did have a job downtown and didn't have to sit in traffic. Now my job is in an outlying industrial area and I waste so much more time commuting. There are many others that feel this way too.

Different strokes I guess, and everyone has their preferences.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by lubicon

I remember the good old days when I did have a job downtown and didn't have to sit in traffic. Now my job is in an outlying industrial area and I waste so much more time commuting. There are many others that feel this way too.

Different strokes I guess, and everyone has their preferences.

Who the hell would sit in traffic for a downtown job, in a city with an excellent public transportation system and $400/month parking fees???

[Calgarian]

Originally Posted by freeweed

Speaking of binge drinking being the actual problem here - holy crap, I actually had to leave the Flames game mid-game last night. Let's just say someone couldn't handle his alcohol, and he was a big enough guy that the large popcorn bags couldn't hold it all. We were lucky enough to not be splashed on, but at least 20 people that I counted weren't. I would have beaten the shit out of the guy if we were in that group (well I probably would have gotten my ass kicked, but I would have been furious). As it was, nearly 2 entire sections started leaving just due to the smell alone. I can't really describe how horrific the scene was, in a visual/auditory/olfactory sense. I still haven't been able to eat anything. Anyone who's seen Stand By Me can at least have a basic idea - although as far as I could tell, no one else got sick. It was just all one guy.

Ah, the 'bleeds when the Oilers come to town. Such fun. To be fair, the guy had a Flames jersey on so he's just a pure asshole.

I still can't believe just how stupid some people are with alcohol, and I say this as a life-long moderately heavy drinker.

Edit: I didn't think to ask him if he was from the suburbs or inner city.

It amazes me how some people have no idea they are about to barf, I can tell probably 10 minutes before it happens, at least. And I have also seen a guy hurl all over the people in front of him, this guy was absolutely mortified after though.

[fusili]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

It amazes me how some people have no idea they are about to barf, I can tell probably 10 minutes before it happens, at least. And I have also seen a guy hurl all over the people in front of him, this guy was absolutely mortified after though.

Lol. I usually pride myself in being able to tell well in advance and camping out in the bathroom until I have to puke (at least I did in my early 20s).

One time though, partying with a very heavy drinker I worked with in the restaurant industry, splitting a 24 of Kokanee with him, a mickey of rum to myself and then having Tequila chugging contests after, I can't say that I performed to the best of my abilities.

[kw5150]

You missed the point once again. If you live downtown, you go against traffic in most cases, wherever you are going. The next best thing is to live as close as possible to where you work.

Originally Posted by suburbia

That's one of the reason many hundreds of thousands of Calgarians refuse taking jobs in downtown. why would be want to get stuck sitting in traffic?

[kw5150]

I was thinking about all of these "satellite downtowns". Dont these cause more traffic problems when people have to drive across the city to go to meetings with each other? Isnt it better to keep things concentrated downtown OR at least be linked very well by transit? I think the satellite downtowns should definitely only be TOD or strictly residential.

[lubicon]

Originally Posted by freeweed

Who the hell would sit in traffic for a downtown job, in a city with an excellent public transportation system and $400/month parking fees???

Yup.

But in my case the answer was:
1. my employer paid for my parking, gas, etc. so driving was essentially no cost.
2. transit was not feasible as often times I needed to go somewhere besides home immediatedy from work

Plus my commute was much shorter than it is now.

[Radley77]

Originally Posted by kw5150

I was thinking about all of these "satellite downtowns". Dont these cause more traffic problems when people have to drive across the city to go to meetings with each other? Isnt it better to keep things concentrated downtown OR at least be linked very well by transit? I think the satellite downtowns should definitely only be TOD or strictly residential.

I'd "like" to see more suburban communities function with better work/residential balance but there are also a lot of efficiencies by having clusters. I'd say insurance companies and some engineering companies would be better off at a satellite. Whereas downtown will cater more to banking, marketing, energy and other creative colloborative industries.

[Radley77]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

Can anyone explain why the right wing is getting all militant about Nenshi, Stanley and trying to build this city in a manner that won't make us go broke (Plan-it)? No one is trying to stop the suburbs and force everyone to live in concrete shoeboxes, all they want is to try and increase density within the existing city limits, seems pretty reasonable to me.

One of the things that pisses me off is how the media goes into these tirades demanding transparency from politicians. And in return? What does media ever say about who it's dollars are coming from? I'm looking at you Calgary Sun.

[Policy Wonk]

Originally Posted by kw5150

I was thinking about all of these "satellite downtowns". Dont these cause more traffic problems when people have to drive across the city to go to meetings with each other?

And this is where it gets completely subjective. No two situations alike.

At my old job our world was neatly contained in several square blocks downtown. We dealt with the same companies all the time. Removing ourselves from that tight orbit wouldn't have made any sense.

Where I work now, other than physically being located in Calgary we don't have any real interactions here. Most of our business is in Edmonton and various rural locations. Being downtown is nothing but an added cost.

[Ramsayfarian]

Are you sure it was booze that made that guy puke? It might have been the Flames.

If you're a seasoned drinker and still puking, you need some serious help.

[MasterG]

Originally Posted by kw5150

According to the article, 22% still preferred the urban lifestyle; that is a large number of people.....nice!
Another miss for the sun newspaper. I would have been one of those people that said I wanted a house when I was 20 years old.......

Live close to where you work (when you can) is the golden rule. Traffic chaos has not been a part of my life for almost 15 years now. That is 5475 days I have not had to be in rush hour twice per day.

All these surveys really never ask a real question, its like the entire "taxes vs. more services".

80% say don't raise my taxes, 80% say they want to spend more money on health care. Doesn't connect the dots.

This survey is much the same. Obviously everyone (or 80%) of people want space, nice schools and safe communities. Obviously 80% want services, walking to grocery stores, restaurants. But largely there has to be a compromise because no community can have everything.

The survey should ask how long are you willing to drive each way to work to live in the biggest house you could possibly afford? It is just a reality of Calgary as it gets larger, the distances and congestion will continue to increase to push some of those Gen Ys, that seemed so one sided by this survey, inward - or outwardd (we are coming for you Olds).

Ideally everyone in the Burbs would live in Hillhurst in a 2,500sqft house. and only have a 200K mortgage. Everyone knows that what they are really looking for

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by Ramsayfarian

Are you sure it was booze that made that guy puke? It might have been the Flames.

Well there was that.

[kw5150]

HAHA! Good friday humour.

Originally Posted by Ramsayfarian

Are you sure it was booze that made that guy puke? It might have been the Flames.

If you're a seasoned drinker and still puking, you need some serious help.

[kw5150]

Architecture and Engineering type firms should always be close together.....

Here is a list that function well by being close togerher

City hall
Architects
Planners
Engineers
Landscape Architects
Etc, etc.

Originally Posted by Radley77

I'd "like" to see more suburban communities function with better work/residential balance but there are also a lot of efficiencies by having clusters. I'd say insurance companies and some engineering companies would be better off at a satellite. Whereas downtown will cater more to banking, marketing, energy and other creative colloborative industries.

[fusili]

Originally Posted by kw5150

Architecture and Engineering type firms should always be close together.....

Here is a list that function well by being close togerher

City hall
Architects
Planners
Engineers
Landscape Architects
Etc, etc.

They are. The architecture firms close to City Hall are:
- Gibbs Gage
- Dialogue
- NORR
- Abugov Kaspar
- MBAC (not really big, but they are close)
- BKDI (not as close, but a short C-Train ride away)

In terms of the large architectural firms in Calgary, I can only think of Riddell Kurzcaba who is not within close proximity to City Hall (CFB West)

[Calgarian]

Kasian is in Inglewood which isn't very far from city hall, but would be about a 40 minute walk...