Winter City Strategy - Feedback time

[Coldrsx]

What would make you fall in love with winter in Edmonton?

We already have several great winter festivals and lots of outdoor activities. But we want to build on these and transform Edmonton into a world leading winter city; one where urban design reflects our northern climate, where snow and ice are used as resources and where public spaces are vibrant, inviting and comfortable places to be even on cold days.

So the City of Edmonton Community Services Department is developing a WinterCity Strategy - a plan with recommendations for making Edmonton a great northern city. And we want your ideas for the best way to do this.

We're focusing on 4 key strategic areas:
• Urban Design, including: public life, public spaces and buildings
• Quality of Life and Livability
• Hospitality, Tourism, Business
• City Branding & Marketing

All ideas for making Edmonton a great northern city will be taken into consideration by the WinterCity Strategy Project Team, but won't necessarily be directly referenced in the final WinterCity Strategy Report. That report will be going to Edmonton City Council in fall 2012.

GO TO

http://edmontonwintercity.ideascale.com/

[Hallsy's Toupee]

If they build that canal in Rossdale, that could be turned into our version of Ottawa's Winterlude.

[Coldrsx]

Heard this presentation this morning and loved it.

How Copenhagen became a winter city: presentation from architect Lars Gemzoe

http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/201...t-lars-gemzoe/

[ue]

While Copenhagen and Edmonton are at the same latitudes and thus experience similar sunlight hours and the like, Copenhagen, and Southern Scandinavia in general, is a lot more mild and habitable in the winter when compared to anywhere in Canada outside of Southern B.C. Europe is a lot less harsh with its weather, which is what allowed it to be a a highly advanced region of the world. Keep in mind the sunny and mild French South Coast is at the same latitude as Maine and Nova Scotia.

Back to Copenhagen, even in the pictures it really doesn't look like a harsh winter at all. Sure, put on a nice jacket and maybe mittens, but nothing like what you need to survive a -25 week in Edmonton. The snow is light and the snowstorms look similar to the early winter storms in Edmonton when the temperature is just a few degrees below zero, allowing for excess moisture (snow). With that, it is a lot easier to make Copenhagen a "winter city" because while it may not be the best for Danes, it is nothing compared to Alberta.

We need to look at Ottawa, Quebec City, Harbin, Novosibirsk, Chicago, Yakutsk, and Winnipeg for inspiration, not Copenhagen, Antwerp, Portland, Auckland, and Washington D.C.

EDIT: Right now, at 12:26 AM in Copenhagen, it is a balmy 0 and Saturday's high is expected to be 7. And they're getting rain, not snow. Sounds more Burnaby than Sherwood Park if you ask me.

[s4.audios]

More elaborate lighting; at least in a shopping or entertainment district. Cosidering the long dark hours we have in winter, it would attract people outdoors to a 9pm closure of stores. I know I said capital blvd as a robson street earlier, how about the flashyness of new granville street.

And something a little off topic but about lights lol... Wouldnt it be cool if the cbc radio wall of edmonton centre be completely filled with ads like times square?

[Xelebes]

I don't know if festivals and events are the answer. Rather, we simply need to do our best to design for the climate, so as stated in the other thread, let us use what we know. Nothing is worse than waiting on 104th Avenue and trying to protect yourself from the wind in a January cold-snap.

So yes, lights are important in winter. Lights directed down to fill the street and the pedestrians. They don't need to be ads, just an assortment of colours and angles to make streetwalking better at night.

[Coldrsx]

Bravo edm bravo

POLL
 
The city of Edmonton is in the midst of developing a winter city strategy. What do you like best about winter?
Skiing
11.00 %
Skating
3.20 %
Sledding
1.80 %
Anything outdoors
9.20 %
The snow
7.40 %
The end
67.40 %
 
Read the story and Sound Off!

[Hallsy's Toupee]

You can't MAKE people like winter. A change of attitudes takes time.

[ue]

^^ Wow, that is really pathetic. I understand a portion of people are here for jobs, or don't want to uproot themselves, but seriously why do so many people continue to live through winter each and every year when they just hate it? I'm sure they'd be happy in Osoyoos or Langley or Saanich. With that, I also think that for such a "winter city" we do a piss-poor job making it friendly and enjoyable. Calgary, too. I think if the city did more to promote winter and make it more bearable, that percentage would go down much further.

While Copenhagen may not be the best example of a "winter city," some of the ideas in there were good, Cold. I liked the blanket idea. There's also the idea of, when it isn't too cold, say between -10 and 10, to have heated patios in some restaurants. Although, that's probably the least of our worries, when we can't even get patios in April and October. The aforementioned street lighting is also pivotal to making people feel safe and thus don't mind being outside, especially with the shorter daylight hours. Major winter festivals are also needed to let Edmontonians get out there and find new ways to enjoy winter. We need for winter what Fringe, Heritage, ToE, Folk Fest, CariWest, the Works, and Gay Pride Parade do for the summer to areas like Downtown, Whyte Ave, and the University area. I also think heated sidewalks on key roads would help make things more comfortable for pedestrians for say when it drops below -12 or -15. Maybe Jasper Ave, part of 104 St, Whyte Ave west of the tracks, and the Victoria Promenade? There also needs to be campaigning both to Edmontonians and the world to make the place seem less dead in the winter and know that there are things to do in the winter, even just having a TV ad explaining something that already exists in Edmonton, such as cross country skiing or tobogganing on Gallagher Park's hill.

[Coldrsx]

Originally Posted by Hallsy's Toupee

You can't MAKE people like winter. A change of attitudes takes time.

Sure it does, but (and i caveat this with my wonder about the number of votes and the incredibly cold past few days) the thought that people cannot get out and enjoy a skate a hawrelak, a sled on connors, a walk in whitemud creek or the valley, or a ski at elk island is ridiculous.

My wonder is if people are really that 'busy' that they only associate winter with slow/treacherous commutes and freezing faces between their SUV and the mall.

[ue]

Yup, and many of these same "busy" people go gaga when it hits anything over 27, hitting up the patios, Fringe, Whyte, farmers markets, Churchill Square, river valley, etc. While careers vary, I don't think most have an extremely large amount of free time to do thngs in the summer vs winter, aside from vacation days which are usually spent outside the city.

[Xelebes]

You have to remember that people are affected by various seasonal disorders and winter has more than its fair share (flu season, SAD, cold season, sensory issues.) Winter is a hard time this far north in any region. The trick is to involve the excited 35%. Remember the city blossoms with activity in the summer, which is the main cultural attraction to the city.

[Coldrsx]

FYI - 30% of yearly festivals occur during the winter months.

[ue]

Yet not one of them seem to match the allure and attention of the top summer fests. Not to mention, considering how long winter is, that 30% should really be 40 or 50.

[Coldrsx]

How long is winter?

Winter light festivals attracted over 100,000 people.

There are many well attended winter festivals, but many others that could become larger and expanded.

How about a winter corporate challenge?

[ue]

Festivals being the key word. That would be like saying if you combined the foot traffic of Whyte Ave during Fringe, Downtown during lunch hour, WEM on a Saturday afternoon, Hawrelak during the Heritage Festival, and 124 Street during gallery events that it would be equivalent to the pedestrian realm of Hong Kong Island. Yes, there are some well attended winter fests but you'd be kidding yourself if you think Silver Skate or Deep Freeze or Metropolis is on par with the Fringe, Heritage, and Taste of Edmonton. We need something with that amount of attractiveness in December or January or February. Look to Winnipeg's Festival du Voyageur or Quebec's world famous 'carnaval' or Harbin's winter festivals for inspiration.

Winter officially is a lot shorter than it actually is in Edmonton. In Edmonton, I would say it usually lasts from mid November to late March so 4.5 months. That's 38% of the time in a given year, so I think my 40% is more than reasonable. Actually, though, I think there needs to be a higher proportion of festivals in the winter as a means to attract people to the outdoors versus the summer which already has so many things going for it.

[Coldrsx]

^which is exactly what the city is trying to work on. But outside of festivals, they want a focus on getting people out, active and enjoying the winter on their own terms.

Walking, skating, snowman building, tobogganing, etc.

Organic and less planned events that encourage people to enjoy the season rather than simply dealing with the challenges winter brings.

[ue]

^ I agree that is key too. Festivals are but one thing. However, if a festival is popular enough in the winter and it showcases easy winter activities in Edmonton, it could be a way for people to find out and later do those things on their own terms as you suggest.

[Coldrsx]

Combo is good.

The point here is to work on the perception and misconceptions of winter. The idea that you should hibernate. To get involved, get excited about one of our 4 seasons and to embrace it rather than run from it.

[Coldrsx]

PLEASE JOIN US! INVITE YOUR FRIENDS!!

FREE lunch hour speaker

When: February 14, 2012, 12 – 1 pm

Where: City Hall, City Room

After their city lost its bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics, many residents of Quebec City were dismayed. And the questions began: what happened? Are we a real winter city? What can we do better to become an international winter destination?

Pierre Labrie helped answer those questions – and in doing so led the people of Quebec City on a journey to embrace and celebrate winter. It meant grassroots change; learning to think, feel and speak differently about being a northern city. And it’s meant high level change, including securing sustainable funding, bringing the Red Bull Crashed Ice competition to Quebec City, and convincing airlines to provide more direct international flights to Quebec City in winter months.

Mr Labrie will tell Quebec City’s winter success story and he’ll take your questions about what more we can do here to fall in love with winter in Edmonton.