Saskatoon:Riversdale and 20th Street

[Ruckus]

Shortly after photographing Nutana and Broadway I biked across the Senator Sid Buckwold (Idylwyld) Bridge, made my way through River Landing, and arrived at the gateway to Riversdale from Downtown via 20th street East/West and Idlywyld Drive.

Certainly a historic street and neighborhood much like Broadway and Nutana, but questions of uncertainty remain as to whether this area will progress quickly into something more attractive once River Landing and adjacent properties reach completion.

Can current public and private investment(River Landing and spin off) levels drive a revitalization of Riversdale and 20th street, or will this area maintain its current environment of negative associations? I'm sure city officials are hoping the former will succeed, but to what degree and how soon still has some feeling doubtful(small minority?).

Enough talk, time to marvel at one of Saskatoon's oldest neighborhoods(~100 years), enjoy!

http://www.riversdale.ca/main.php?p=763

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riversd...,_Saskatchewan

[governorgeneral]

Thanks for your photo tours of S'toon, good to see.

Originally Posted by SASKFTW

will this area maintain its current environment of negative associations?

What negative associations are there?

It's funny how much S'toon and Regina are bizarro-world versions of each other: you have Broadway, we have Cathedral. You have Riversdale, we have our 11 Av "Chinatown" (which is mostly native). In both cases S'toon has the livelier editions - each has a theatre, more cafes and restaurants (including the only place in Saskatchewan that still has dim sum on carts), plus they seem more easily walkable from downtown than Regina's versions.

S'toon graffiti also has more artistic merit than Regina's amateur tags, though otherwise I remember Regina looking cleaner than S'toon. Maybe because Regina has more trees, less dust and the power lines are underground?

Too bad neither's close to the university though, the round-the-clock student usage would've helped keep both places lively.

Some of my Riversdale photos from last year:











The free shuttle bus is a great idea. Does it get a lot of traffic though?



















(More non-Riversdale S'toon photos)

[Ruckus]

Originally Posted by governorgeneral

What negative associations are there?

When people(select Saskatonians) think of 20th street or Riversdale, they think thugs, criminals, hookers, drunks, druggies, uneducated youth, gangs and all the activity that relates to each group or individual.

But....

It's important to note that support services, affordable housing(more on the way), passionate residents and their associated groups have all led to(IMO) to a safer and more attractive community(Its right next to the South Saskatchewan River!). I'm not a resident of Riversdale, but I regularly assess specific areas and such(graffiti in alleys are good indicators among other things) and I believe a shift in perception, as well as the environment are proceeding to something which should benefit the whole of Saskatoon.

Riversdale also gets a bad reputation due to activity in Pleasant Hill(Has less going for it than Riversdale, and the negative associations persist), a neighborhood directly adjacent to Riversdale. Factor in a large population of low income, low home ownership, etc, and the task to revitalize seems beyond any government. But thats one particular belief, and one it seems government officials(Municipal/Provincial/Federal) are determined to challenge and overcome utilizing a variety of approaches/methods.

Maybe a more personal account:

While I was in Broadway I made no conversation with any of the people for whatever reason(I'm just there to photograph and leave). Upon entering Riversdale, I was taking a shot of the Barry Hotel and a women(30's?) approached me and asked if was taking photos of the Barry Hotel, I replied that I was capturing all of Riversdale, as well as the Barry. To which she replied Yeah, well the Barry is for sale, yada yada, and I asked if she lived in the area, she replied on Ave I and ??? I bid her farewell and continued on. Later I was approached by another female(younger ~17, who was with her boyfriend) and asked if I owned a blue car(???), I said no sorry I don't own a car(I do, but c'mon what kind of question is that?). So I continued west and a young man(~17 with his girlfriend by his side) commented on my bike, a standard street comment "nice bike", to which I replied "yeah, thanks" and continued on. No other random people approached me afterwards. A nice community, on one particular street I observed the occupants of probably 6-10 neighboring houses all congregating on their front porches(kids,dogs,seniors) chatting, playing, relaxing, it was an unexpected discovery for me(I live in a nice suburban neighborhood )

[Ruckus]

Originally Posted by governorgeneral

It's funny how much S'toon and Regina are bizarro-world versions of each other: you have Broadway, we have Cathedral. You have Riversdale, we have our 11 Av "Chinatown" (which is mostly native). In both cases S'toon has the livelier editions - each has a theatre, more cafes and restaurants (including the only place in Saskatchewan that still has dim sum on carts), plus they seem more easily walkable from downtown than Regina's versions.

Interesting comparison, I never knew that about Regina, thanks for sharing.

Originally Posted by governorgeneral

S'toon graffiti also has more artistic merit than Regina's amateur tags

Saskatoon has its fair share of unskilled tagging. But I could understand why you might think there is more artistic merit in some of the graffiti. I often wonder which of the better graffiti is commissioned by the city or private interests, some of it is obvious, but others not so much. I'll have to make a day of graffiti discovery/photographing to satisfy my curiosity.

Originally Posted by governorgeneral

The free shuttle bus is a great idea. Does it get a lot of traffic though?

Enough to continue operating, don't have the numbers, I have never ridden on it. My guess is seniors and low income earners, but I'm sure typical citizens take advantage of it as well.

IIRC, they approved further operational funding for the free shuttle bus as well as purchasing of buses fitted with televisions, leather seating, and some other questionable luxuries. The city stated the higher end buses would be utilized for special events, rented out privately, to offset any costs incurred through the free shuttle bus. Again, slight chance I could be off on the previous statements, but as of December 2006 it was still operational.

[Echoes]

Thanks for the photos saskftw
Certainly 20th has its bad side but I can relate to your pleasant encounters with locals, etc. I remember when I was quite young and with my grandma who wouldve been in her early 60s at the time and we took a trip down 20th because she wanted to stop in at an antique shop on the street that im quite sure is now closed. anyways, the pair of us (a small boy and my gray haired grandma being rather small herself) walked for several blocks down 20th. i remember being fully aware that this was the "bad side of town" but i never felt alarmed during our walk. We were never approached or intimidated by anyone, and this being years ago when 20th was worse than it is today.

The thing with Riversdale/20th is that there are alot of old buildings and houses with alot of character and great historical value. However, there's also a fair share of properties that you wish would hurry up and meet their maker at the hands of a bulldozer.

^Also, thanks GG for your photos. I love the pics looking east down 20th with the Bez framed nicely at the end. They just seem to scream with a "Main Street" feel.

I dont get over to Riversdale much but these pictures confirm that Riversdale has the POTENTIAL to be a vibrant, bohemian neighborhood.