HomeDiagramsDatabaseMapsForum About
     

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Regional Sections > Canada


View Poll Results: Which of the following cities do you think could join the Big Canadian Cities Ranking
Barrie (ON) 10 7.25%
Kelowna (BC) 39 28.26%
Sudbury (ON) 2 1.45%
Kingston (ON) 9 6.52%
Saguenay (QC) 1 0.72%
Trois Rivieres (QC) 2 1.45%
Guelph (ON) 13 9.42%
Abbotsford-Mission (BC) 8 5.80%
Moncton (NB) 13 9.42%
Brantford (ON) 0 0%
Saint John (NB) 4 2.90%
Peterborough (ON) 1 0.72%
Thunder Bay (ON) 3 2.17%
Lethbridge (AB) 4 2.90%
Nanaimo (BC) 2 1.45%
Kamloops (BC) 1 0.72%
Belleville (ON) 1 0.72%
Chatham-Kent (ON) 1 0.72%
Fredericton (NB) 1 0.72%
Chilliwack (BC) 1 0.72%
Red Deer (AB) 12 8.70%
Cape Breton (NS) 0 0%
Sarnia (ON) 1 0.72%
Drummondville (QC) 2 1.45%
None of the Above (write in your candidate) 7 5.07%
Voters: 138. You may not vote on this poll

Reply

 
Thread Tools Display Modes
     
     
  #141  
Old Posted Jul 14, 2017, 6:33 PM
TownGuy's Avatar
TownGuy TownGuy is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Cobourg, ON
Posts: 3,051
Quote:
Originally Posted by DizzyEdge View Post
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.


my creation


"Downtown"

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.29268...7i13312!8i6656
That's neat.

Airdrie's Ontario equalivalent would have to be Milton which grew from 2000 in the 50s to 110,000 currently.

I was curious to see how Miltons downtown looked, I've only ever passed Milton on the 401. You know what it's pretty nice actually!

https://goo.gl/maps/QR8e37Gh9uS2

It's really telling how far our standards have dropped when stretch of downtown built when a place had a few hundred people far eclipses anything built after it.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #142  
Old Posted Jul 14, 2017, 6:58 PM
DizzyEdge's Avatar
DizzyEdge DizzyEdge is offline
My Spoon Is Too Big
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Calgary
Posts: 9,191
Yeah that downtown is far nicer. I mean I guess with Airdrie many new shops were built downtown over the years, they were just all inside a shopping mall.
__________________
Concerned about protecting Calgary's built heritage?
www.CalgaryHeritage.org
News - Heritage Watch - Forums
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #143  
Old Posted Jul 14, 2017, 7:06 PM
speedog's Avatar
speedog speedog is offline
Moran supreme
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,579
Quote:
Originally Posted by DizzyEdge View Post
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.
The city of Chestermere just to the east of Calgary will be the same way with no real downtown - these two locale's were just too small in the 40-60's to establish any sort of downtown and they grew expansively when downtowns were no longer what people or developers desired.

Even long time established smaller cities which used to have a thriving downtown now have very stagnant downtowns and it's questionable if they'll ever recover - Medicine Hat, Alberta is a perfect example of this.
__________________
Just a wee bit below average prairie boy in Canada's third largest city and fourth largest CMA
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #144  
Old Posted Jul 14, 2017, 7:30 PM
TownGuy's Avatar
TownGuy TownGuy is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Cobourg, ON
Posts: 3,051
Just checked out Medicine Hat on Streetview. Good bones but the building stock could be better. Appears they're trying to revitalize it. New landscaping everywhere.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #145  
Old Posted Jul 14, 2017, 7:32 PM
DizzyEdge's Avatar
DizzyEdge DizzyEdge is offline
My Spoon Is Too Big
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Calgary
Posts: 9,191
Medicine Hat is a bit too small to fully realize its downtown potential in my opinion, the ~100k Red Deer and Lethbridge feel like 'real cities', where as the ~65k Medicine Hat isn't quite there. One notable deficiency: no downtown hotels, although there are one or two a 30 minute walk to the middle of downtown.
__________________
Concerned about protecting Calgary's built heritage?
www.CalgaryHeritage.org
News - Heritage Watch - Forums
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #146  
Old Posted Jul 14, 2017, 7:39 PM
TownGuy's Avatar
TownGuy TownGuy is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Cobourg, ON
Posts: 3,051
Can someone please explain to me why Medicine Hat has these weird laneways AND driveways/garages at the front of the houses? What is the point of that?

https://goo.gl/maps/GsAHeL9eHJk
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #147  
Old Posted Jul 14, 2017, 8:54 PM
DizzyEdge's Avatar
DizzyEdge DizzyEdge is offline
My Spoon Is Too Big
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Calgary
Posts: 9,191
Quote:
Originally Posted by TownGuy View Post
Can someone please explain to me why Medicine Hat has these weird laneways AND driveways/garages at the front of the houses? What is the point of that?

https://goo.gl/maps/GsAHeL9eHJk
Good question! That is weird. You can see in a new development in Calgary the streets with front access tend to not have alleyways and those which do have alleys have rear garages and no front drives

https://www.google.ca/maps/@50.91249.../data=!3m1!1e3
__________________
Concerned about protecting Calgary's built heritage?
www.CalgaryHeritage.org
News - Heritage Watch - Forums
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #148  
Old Posted Jul 14, 2017, 9:36 PM
DrJoe's Avatar
DrJoe DrJoe is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: TO, ON
Posts: 2,624
God good Albertan suburbs look like complete ass. Their sheer ugliness never ceases to amaze to me. No doubt that is supposed to a "decent" example.

Heres a quick apple to apple comparison I could find with a middle tree median (not that are common in either place)

https://goo.gl/maps/w2gPPeRtXZE2
__________________
*
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #149  
Old Posted Jul 14, 2017, 10:40 PM
WhipperSnapper's Avatar
WhipperSnapper WhipperSnapper is online now
I am the law!
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Toronto+
Posts: 21,911
Riight. That's an apples to apples comparison. Go right to Cornell and pick one of the few new urbanism developments in the GTA
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #150  
Old Posted Jul 14, 2017, 11:06 PM
DrJoe's Avatar
DrJoe DrJoe is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: TO, ON
Posts: 2,624
What do you want me to pick moron? He picked a tree lined median and I did also. The amount they occur in either metro, along with suburban laneways, is just about even.
__________________
*
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #151  
Old Posted Jul 15, 2017, 12:38 AM
speedog's Avatar
speedog speedog is offline
Moran supreme
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,579
Quote:
Originally Posted by DrJoe View Post
What do you want me to pick moron? He picked a tree lined median and I did also. The amount they occur in either metro, along with suburban laneways, is just about even.
I do not think his intent was to post up a picture of a tree lined street and have a debate about said street.

Never the less, if you have ever been to Medicine Hat then you might understand how difficult it is to get anything to grow there without copious amounts of water. And yet there are many wonderful tree lined streets in Medicine Hat that would probably tickle your fancy.

Also apples to apples, oranges to oranges - the street view you linked to certainly appears to be quite a step up from the linked Medicine Hat street view. Just saying.
__________________
Just a wee bit below average prairie boy in Canada's third largest city and fourth largest CMA
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #152  
Old Posted Jul 15, 2017, 12:43 AM
DrJoe's Avatar
DrJoe DrJoe is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: TO, ON
Posts: 2,624
I was comparing the Streetview of Calgary not Medicine Hat.
__________________
*
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #153  
Old Posted Jul 15, 2017, 1:08 AM
speedog's Avatar
speedog speedog is offline
Moran supreme
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,579
Quote:
Originally Posted by DrJoe View Post
I was comparing the Streetview of Calgary not Medicine Hat.
You're still.not comparing apples to apples with respect to the housing stock.
__________________
Just a wee bit below average prairie boy in Canada's third largest city and fourth largest CMA
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #154  
Old Posted Jul 15, 2017, 1:47 AM
DrJoe's Avatar
DrJoe DrJoe is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: TO, ON
Posts: 2,624
Im not following. I choose a neighborhood with laneways as was the Calgary. There are some towns in the Calgary one perhaps that's why you're referring to?

Semis and towns
https://goo.gl/maps/DmMxvCaNrVP2
__________________
*
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #155  
Old Posted Jul 15, 2017, 7:30 AM
urbandreamer's Avatar
urbandreamer urbandreamer is offline
recession proof
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,507
My Waterloo stomping grounds include Union Blvd: proof tree-lined centre medians can look great https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Uni...!4d-80.5217814
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #156  
Old Posted Jul 15, 2017, 1:52 PM
kwoldtimer kwoldtimer is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: La vraie capitale
Posts: 23,490
Quote:
Originally Posted by urbandreamer View Post
My Waterloo stomping grounds include Union Blvd: proof tree-lined centre medians can look great https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Uni...!4d-80.5217814
Your stomping grounds may be Waterloo, but that section of Union Blvd is in Kitchener. John St, one block "north", is similar and is in Waterloo. Others in Kitchener would be Pandora at East Ave (similar older, higher-end homes, but only one block has the centre boulevard), Onward Ave (more modest homes), and a very wide one on Spadina Ave, through the wartime home heritage district. The best known one would be Queens Blvd, starting at Highland Rd and leading up to St Mary's Hospital, although that one has flower beds rather than trees.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #157  
Old Posted Jul 15, 2017, 8:31 PM
someone123's Avatar
someone123 someone123 is offline
hähnchenbrüstfiletstüc
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Vancouver
Posts: 33,677
Quote:
Originally Posted by DizzyEdge View Post
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.
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.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #158  
Old Posted Jul 15, 2017, 11:17 PM
Rollerstud98 Rollerstud98 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,727
http://www.airdrieecho.com/2016/11/2...-cause-concern

This was proposed by the city late last year, was rushed to the table and they kinda tried to sneak it in and a lot of people opposed it. This would be a start and I think that we will not get a private investment start in this city so the city will have to get the ball rolling. I'm not fully against this proposal but it would need to include residential. We have some empty lots on Main Street that are prime for redevelopment but have been sitting stagnant for years.

The city also put out a survey for peoples opinions on the direction of down town. I responded and said it needs to be brought up with more mixed use spaces and I would like to see some low rise towers built. Something in the way of 8-10 storey buildings. Was able to read peoples comments and many were against anything over 3-4 because they want to keep the "small town" feel. Airdrie has not had a small town feel to it for years now so that is ridiculous.

Don't want to see this repeated on Main Street though, if they went this type of route.
https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.28985...7i13312!8i6656


This old apartment block needs to be razed and redone now as well. Huge amount of wasted space here. Get rid of most the parking lots and create some park space or something,
https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.28797...7i13312!8i6656

Last edited by Rollerstud98; Jul 15, 2017 at 11:45 PM.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #159  
Old Posted Jul 16, 2017, 9:28 AM
urbandreamer's Avatar
urbandreamer urbandreamer is offline
recession proof
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,507
I was watching a newscast from 21 February 1959 - the day after the Avro Arrow was cancelled - and the reporter mentions Brampton's population of 14,000. Today, it's 600,000.

So any GTA smallish town could easily grow up in a hurry: places like Georgetown, Bolton, Orangeville, Ancaster, etc.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #160  
Old Posted Jul 16, 2017, 9:23 PM
MolsonExport's Avatar
MolsonExport MolsonExport is offline
The Vomit Bag.
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Otisburgh
Posts: 44,722
In the case of Airdrie, clearly bigger has not meant better.
__________________
"If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."-President Lyndon B. Johnson Donald Trump is a poor man's idea of a rich man, a weak man's idea of a strong man, and a stupid man's idea of a smart man. Am I an Asseau?
Reply With Quote
     
     
This discussion thread continues

Use the page links to the lower-right to go to the next page for additional posts
 
 
Reply

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Regional Sections > Canada
Forum Jump


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 3:36 PM.

     
SkyscraperPage.com - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.