[Coprolite]

You don't want a neighbourhood full of exclusively one socioeconomic group, ever.

There is plenty of room in central Edmonton for everyone, and talking about moving groups of people around like cattle isn't productive at all. If there's going to be any kind of displacement, it should be across a large area of the city, based on personal choice as much as possible.

Unfortunately, displacement has been most of our approach to "improving" things in the past.

 

[Out of Towner]

The city planning map of Boyle looks like something from 1946 but it serves to show how geographically small and how difficult it would be for a small business to locate and thrive in Boyle. Go down the City's "1946" zoning list and it's only the services in red that have survived in Boyle. The rest in orange have largely gone the way of the dodo bird because of pressure from high volume, low margin retailors that service a wide audience. So asking a "10 block by 10 block" area of low income constituents to support small businesses in the vicinity so that they thrive is not going to work and everybody except the city can see that.

Upscale live / work complexes for one office professionals could work in Boyle because of its proximity to downtown Jasper Avenue, the river valley, and entertainment. Again though, the City seems committed to an outdated "1946" urban plan in Boyle that evidence shows has gone away and one that doesn't work in 2024 either.

 

[David A]

The city planning map of Boyle looks like something from 1946 but it serves to show how geographically small and how difficult it would be for a small business to locate and thrive in Boyle. Go down the City's "1946" zoning list and it's only the services in red that have survived in Boyle. The rest in orange have largely gone the way of the dodo bird because of pressure from high volume, low margin retailors that service a wide audience. So asking a "10 block by 10 block" area of low income constituents to support small businesses in the vicinity so that they thrive is not going to work and everybody except the city can see that.

Upscale live / work complexes for one office professionals could work in Boyle because of its proximity to downtown Jasper Avenue, the river valley, and entertainment. Again though, the City seems committed to an outdated "1946" urban plan in Boyle that evidence shows has gone away and one that doesn't work in 2024 either.

I assume most or all the small uncoloured boxes in the north and eastern part are houses or small residential buildings. It seems to me the main problem here is not so much who lives there but density.

Now I suspect there are even fewer of those old residential (and commercial) buildings and even more empty lots or parking lots. Of course back in the 1940's the city was much smaller and there were no suburban malls, so some of those orange businesses would have served not just the nearby even then insufficient nearby residential area, but people coming downtown from elsewhere.

 

[Out of Towner]

I assume most or all the small uncoloured boxes in the north and eastern part are houses or small residential buildings. It seems to me the main problem here is not so much who lives there but density.

Now I suspect there are even fewer of those old residential (and commercial) buildings and even more empty lots or parking lots. Of course back in the 1940's the city was much smaller and there were no suburban malls, so some of those orange businesses would have served not just the nearby even then insufficient nearby residential area, but people coming downtown from elsewhere.

I believe that is correct. The Boyle trading area was larger in years past and shrank as more competitive retailing models evolved over time and people moved to suburbs. The only thing remaining today is the area's spit and vinegar reputation and I believe that it's an impediment to development of the area.

However, if the area was marketed properly it's actually in a very strategic location in the city and could attract a self employed young professional demographic. It's an ideal location for upscale live / work buildings for young lawyers or accountants wishing to start their own practice. A downtown location for a professional practice gives it more legitimacy than one in a strip mall in the boonies and the consolidation of living and working at the same location is economically advantageous.

The City's bohemian village vision for Boyle is nonsense. Nobody is going to drive to Boyle because a new store opens and even if low income housing is built in the area, there still wouldn't be enough density to support any stores.

At least with a upscale area there's a better chance of bringing people downtown.