Winnipeg Deconstruction

[h0twired]

What I find interesting is that most of the parking lots around the site are full during the day on weekdays. So saying "park somewhere else" probably wont work.

[biguc]

Good call, flatlander. Drinking, peeing, and passing out are all a great time. Less risk of jail than vandalism too.

Originally Posted by h0twired

What I find interesting is that most of the parking lots around the site are full during the day on weekdays. So saying "park somewhere else" probably wont work.

So five extra stalls make a difference, how? Keep in mind, these parking lots are full because there are already thousands of people downtown using them, thus defeating the rational for building more--that we need parking lots to attract more people downtown. The customers for these businesses are already there, as evidenced by the full parking lots.

You inadvertently point out the real problem in your post: on evenings and weekends these lots are empty. And that's because parking lots make downtown suck ass.

[Only The Lonely..]

Originally Posted by biguc

Good call, flatlander. Drinking, peeing, and passing out are all a great time. Less risk of jail than vandalism too.

Drinking, pissing and passing out...sounds like you guys have quite the evening planned for yourselves.

[flatlander]

Originally Posted by Only The Lonely..

Drinking, pissing and passing out...sounds like you guys have quite the evening planned for yourselves.

Yup. Maybe after you take Browaty to the Gentlemen' Club you should stop by for a visit!!

[rgalston]

Got to love the enlightening nuggets of wisdom from the philistine rube set.

The level of disdain for cities--on a forum devoted to urban development--is staggaring. "Sidewalk commerce? Ugh! What's that good for?"

[Only The Lonely..]

Originally Posted by flatlander

Yup. Maybe after you take Browaty to the Gentlemen' Club you should stop by for a visit!!

Sounds like a date...

Speaking of which, where is that randy alderman of mine? I'm supposed to see him this weekend.

[1ajs]

their soup ... took it today sorry for the crapy shot... i was freezing and hungry and my lens was foging up lol

[LilZebra]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

their soup ... took it today sorry for the crapy shot... i was freezing and hungry and my lens was foging up lol

I like how the owner misspells "sause".

[1ajs]

unfornatly inorder to bring life back to downtown we need parking or no one will come.... we need parking for the plp that live downtown cause they want there car....

the old grays auction building :S we minus well let the fucker build his parkade with the facawed its prity much fucked that building any one noticed the big ass crack in the side wall? but we need to make some laws to stop this sorta shit from being alowed period...

[newflyer]

I dislike the amount of surface lots in the downtown as much as anyone here, but that building is an eyesore. It needs to be torn down, as some buildings will need to be in order to improve the overall presence of the whole area. You can't keep the dives standing in the name of conservation and still say you care about downtown. The focus must be instead on finding developers to build on these lots.

As within the laws of economics; supply will follow demand. Lets create the conditions which will draw more interest in living and locating businesses (both retail and commercial) downtown. As more demand is created there will be more interest in building on these lots.

[newflyer]

If and when more parking lots are filled, there will be developers who will mainatin the parking levels by building a few more parkades, while downtown becomes the dense centre of the city we want it to be. It would sure beat the sea of lots we have now.

[biguc]

Originally Posted by newflyer

I dislike the amount of surface lots in the downtown as much as anyone here, but that building is an eyesore. It needs to be torn down, as some buildings will need to be in order to improve the overall presence of the whole area. You can't keep the dives standing in the name of conservation and still say you care about downtown. The focus must be instead on finding developers to build on these lots.

As within the laws of economics; supply will follow demand. Lets create the conditions which will draw more interest in living and locating businesses (both retail and commercial) downtown. As more demand is created there will be more interest in building on these lots.

But what about when demand follows supply?


Say's law is given less credit than it deserves these days. While clearly not a law, there is something to it. It's pretty obvious that increasing the supply of parking has only ever lead to increased demand for parking. It's a vicious cycle of suck.

And that building isn't too bad, that picture is of the ass end of the building. I guess it's no Vida Guerra, but I'm not offended by its appearance.

Also, parking lots are hard to get rid of, thanks to their extreme profitability.

This picture of j.online's is exactly what I was talking about before.
http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/4741/parkingis8.jpg

You can't tell me the developer actually sees that much value in making this lot. I'm pretty sure if we were to work some kind of Coasian negotiation, the developer would fold and develop the property without the extra parking. The developer wants to tear the building down in order to make x amount of money, the city wants to stop the buildings from being torn down because that would suck. If the amount the developer stands to lose from not tearing down the buildings is less than it's worth to the city to keep them, the city can pay him off. If it's actually worth more to him than the city, he can tear his building down if he pays the city. The thing is, it's probably worth all of five bucks to the developer to lose these buildings, so he can fuck off.



rgalston's last post really illustrates Diner's fallacy. Maybe if Winnipeg were on the beach on the edge of a metropolis of millions of car driving Texans, like Galveston is, his idea would work. Joe Diner is stupid.

[rgalston]

Originally Posted by newflyer

It needs to be torn down, as some buildings will need to be in order to improve the overall presence of the whole area. You can't keep the dives standing in the name of conservation and still say you care about downtown.

And the St. Charles was not a dive?

If the clear-away-the-eyesores mentality was allowed to freely persist throughout the recent decades, there would be nothing left of the Exchange District but the Bank of Commerce and the Electric Railway Chambers

Lets create the conditions which will draw more interest in living and locating businesses (both retail and commercial) downtown. As more demand is created there will be more interest in building on these lots.

Or, opening up shop in existing commercial buildings. Or replacing old commercial buildings with new ones, rather than parking lots.

[1ajs]

ty rgalston... this is the reson why were fighting over this one is its got 2 viable busnes's in the building a tayler and a restraunt witch both look like they do prity good buisnes.

its sacrolidge to force these two buisness to move for a parking lot... the only empty space is were the hell angles had there bike parts store....

[Only The Lonely..]

Damn! It seems that there's just nowhere to park your car...

[Only The Lonely..]

It's hard to imagine that there was once a city covering all these open spaces.

[Only The Lonely..]

How old is that pict, 1940's or 50's?

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by Only The Lonely..

How old is that pict, 1940's or 50's?

Old enough that hardly anyone had a car, for one thing

Man, the Forks was sure an eyesore for a long time.

[Andy6]

You can see postwar buildings like 100 Main Street and the Bank of Toronto at Portage and Notre Dame, and it's in colour, and it looks probably post-streetcar, so I'd guess around 1959.

[drew]

What are all those industrial type buildings along Assiniboine Ave at Main Street? There's nothing there today...