^^^^ Au contraire mon frère. The City Admin-types and people on this Skyrise Cities site are continually bitching about the lack of downtown involvement and engagement (particularly by the pedestrian realm) and yet here we are faced with a number of progressive opportunities:
1. Howard Way (100a Street) represents one of the best potential Pedestrian realms in all of downtown and it bumps right into 102 Avenue
2. Edmonton City Centre West is purported to be planning a complete overhaul that includes opening up to the street -- the 102nd Ave. closure would improve chances of that coming to fruition.
3. The Edmonton Public Library -- a proven people place -- faces 102nd Ave. as does the Winston Churchill Square, as does the Citadel and the Winspear Centre
4. Edmonton Centre East and its fortress-like wall would be encouraged to connect to the street
5. TD Bank realizing that potential rebuilt its street facade to accommodate on-street pedestrian traffic/
6. The property on the Old Tegler Building site is a prime hotel location at street level -- it too would be encouraged to engage a pedestrian oriented street (hotel guests would find street vibrancy a huge plus in developmental circles.
7. Manulife Centre is waiting to see (nay lobbying to see) what becomes of 102nd Avenue before finalizing street-facing plans for Retail and Hospitality.
8. There will be a DIRECT connection to the new Warehouse District Park and to the Alex Decoteau (existing) Park -- why not build on that advantage -- the 102 Ave. could become a linear park connecting both parks and all of the foregoing in one chain.
9. 102 Avenue intersects 104th street, one of downtown's most friendly pedestrian realms.
Good Lord there are at least a couple of dozen more positive reasons to convert the 102 Avenue realm into a pedestrian strip in the downtown area... one of the most important reasons is to stop the whining of people on this site that Edmonton is "deadmonton" and homelessness and downtown crime is disproportionate for this City (which it most definitely is NOT).
This is an experiment -- why not see it through. First and foremost flip the Bike lanes with the Pedestrian realm in favor of wider sidewalks. The Admin. rationale is built on a current condition which should definitely CHANGE!