The_Cat
Senior Member
The Quarters stop will help, but it’s going to take more than a station to attract people.
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- Thread starter Daveography
- Start date
kcantor
Senior Member
^^^
the unfortunate individuals who died didn’t become addicts or homeless or have impure drugs sold to them because the city built a park.
^^
and who is going to finance and rent and occupy those cru’s and residences until we’re post-covid? there’s probably 100,000 sf plus of vacant commercial space in the quarters at the moment and probably a couple hundred residences as well. the issue you want fixed isn’t a lack of supply or developer commitment.
the unfortunate individuals who died didn’t become addicts or homeless or have impure drugs sold to them because the city built a park.
^^
and who is going to finance and rent and occupy those cru’s and residences until we’re post-covid? there’s probably 100,000 sf plus of vacant commercial space in the quarters at the moment and probably a couple hundred residences as well. the issue you want fixed isn’t a lack of supply or developer commitment.
archited
Senior Member
The City should stop building "passive use" parks -- they become natural points of contact for the needle crowd and other illicit transaction-ers.
itom987
Active Member
^^ The Quarters can become a desirable area, it is the negative image that needs to change. Three deaths in a brand new park does not help, the park needs people and programming to prevent this from happening again.
The Quarters will soon have its own LRT station; that, including everything the city has already done should be more than enough incentive for developers to start building things.
The Quarters will soon have its own LRT station; that, including everything the city has already done should be more than enough incentive for developers to start building things.
roe_
Active Member
I am trying hard not to assume anything, but what do you mean by "nip this in the bud" and "programming to prevent this from happening again"? Three people are dead, likely from opiate overdoses, which is an absolute tragedy. The issue isn't how we get more people in the area and make them feel safer in a park -- it's HOW DO WE KEEP PEOPLE FROM DYING!
We all like urban development or we wouldn't be here, but it's crass to be more worried about park users than people's lives. This type of tragedy should spur people to demand more than band aid fixes from government because shifting people around so they die in less conspicuous places is heartless.
CplKlinger
Senior Member
I'm ignorant; what are alternatives to "passive use" parks? I personally imagine parks as passively used in nature, but again, I'm ignorant about this.
itom987
Active Member
My issue is not with the death themselves which is a tragedy that could have been avoided. My issue is with the image Edmontonians have with the area, the place has a reputation for being full of druggies. If there were more people walking their dog in the area the deaths in the park could have been prevented.
kcantor
Senior Member
^
i hate to say it but the place doesn’t “have a reputation for druggies”, the place is full of druggies. and acknowledging that isn’t being insensitive. what’s insensitive is their not having better places to go than inner city streets and alleys; their not being able to get the supports they need including basic shelter (not shelters); their not being able to legally access high quality drugs; and their being preyed upon by drug dealers and gangs and pimps as a result of those three things.
and all four of those things are a big reason why there aren’t more people walking their dog in the area. besides, that might have prevented those deaths from happening in the park but it wouldn’t have prevented those deaths from being just as tragic..
i hate to say it but the place doesn’t “have a reputation for druggies”, the place is full of druggies. and acknowledging that isn’t being insensitive. what’s insensitive is their not having better places to go than inner city streets and alleys; their not being able to get the supports they need including basic shelter (not shelters); their not being able to legally access high quality drugs; and their being preyed upon by drug dealers and gangs and pimps as a result of those three things.
and all four of those things are a big reason why there aren’t more people walking their dog in the area. besides, that might have prevented those deaths from happening in the park but it wouldn’t have prevented those deaths from being just as tragic..
ChazYEG
Senior Member
You nailed it to the point!
The "problem" we're discussing is nothing but a tragic symptom of a much larger issue that needs to be addressed.
itom987
Active Member
Instead of wasting our energy trying to solve the impossible-to-solve problem of homelessness and drug abuse. Let's focus on diluting the problem to a manageable level by developing the area.
Whyte Ave. also has a homeless and drug abuse problem but it still feels safe, use that area as an example for the rest of the city.
Whyte Ave. also has a homeless and drug abuse problem but it still feels safe, use that area as an example for the rest of the city.
Edmcowboy11
Senior Member
One thing is undeniable, there needs to be more active CRU's, there needs to be more people living in the area, only then will problems not be as pronounced. One business that has taken a chance is the little convenience store right next to the future quarters LRT stop. I really do hope that that store will survive and there their gamble pays off for them by setting up long before there is lots of activity in the area.
kcantor
Senior Member
^^
sorry but “diluting the problem” so we just don’t see people living and dying on our streets and in our parks often enough to keep us from feeling safe isn’t really a solution to the problem.
sorry but “diluting the problem” so we just don’t see people living and dying on our streets and in our parks often enough to keep us from feeling safe isn’t really a solution to the problem.
ChazYEG
Senior Member
I disagree with you on all accounts except for the need to develop the area.
It is not impossible to solve, it is difficult and involves all of us thinking of this as a social problem, as much as a healthcare issue.
These don't need to be just managed. They need to be properly addressed by all of the government levels and by society as a whole.
itom987
Active Member
Let me know when you solved the problem!
ChazYEG
Senior Member
No one will solve it alone, but a good start would be to acknowledge it and contribute to an actual solution, instead of trying to simply gentrify the area and push these people even more to the margin or hide them from sight.
They're freaking human beings, for crying out loud! While developing the area would make it safer for residents and park users, it is an elitist and bodes as Social Cleansing, rather than anything.