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Because I like visuals, I have been maintaining this map of proposals and construction in the city, mostly focused on the core but also including other subjectively important/impactful projects.

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Link to the live version:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1i7jbkq2SsLncnYusnMgSx24dw0A&usp=sharing

It's 100% subjective how I categorize Proposals vs. Upcoming vs. Stale/Unknown, what I consider to be important enough to include and display outside the core, etc. I make no claims to accuracy, but I do regularly update it.

What I like about it, though, is it outlines the land area of each project and how it impacts our urban form. Though if you want to feel a bit depressed and how far we still have to go, turn on the "surface lots" layer which I've filled out for downtown. Note though that layer does include some accessory parking, but I feel it's fair to represent underutilized land as well as fully empty lots. Again, no claims to accuracy and it's fully subjective to my whims, but I try.
 

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FYI, I'll be heading to Sydney next week, and won't be back for about a month.

While I'm sure I'll post construction and other photos to the Global site while I'm there, I'll be missing a lot of what's going on in Edmonton! So everyone, please take photos whenever you go past a construction project. Smartphone photos will do just fine. I need my fix. :)
 
I am heading downtown after work for the UDI New Horizons construction season kick off, camera has been loaded into the vehicle in preparation. Might dip out a little early around 8 or 9 pm and do a walk about to get some photos.

Have fun in Sydney!!
 
I listened to the whole thing. One thing that stands out -- we tend to forgive mediocrity! -- all in the name of build-out advancement. This is too easy. Clifton Place good; NCIB good; the Corners "Hat" bad; Ice district tower B bad; Manchester Place bad; Brewery District good... what can I say. If we accept mediocrity then we get what we accept. We should have a critical eye for every new proposal.
 
One thing I really wanted to say and didn't get an opportunity during the recording was that Edmonton real estate is still very locally-driven. That's not a bad thing in itself, but it does mean there's not a lot of outside investors bringing in their experience and design/architecture teams who are more worldly and connected to modern and trending practices. It seems like many of our local, small-time investors and developers mostly still design through a very narrow lens of what we've just always done here in Edmonton.
 
@Daveography, there is some truth to what you say, but Edmonton does have several good developers/real estate mavens -- Beljan comes to mind (seems to have a keen sense of pedestrian:building interplay); as does Gene Dub (architect-developer); and Westrich is striving with each new project to get there. On the flip side we have outsiders raising or proposing to raise cra... think Toronto's Condo King; or the group looking at the Massey Ferguson site; or the Cidex group. And Edmonton has world class architects -- Gene Dub and office (again); Brad Kennedy and office -- to name a couple. Edmonton desperately needs an architecture school (besides Athabasca U.'s online effort). Edmonton has some great educational institutions -- some of the best in Canada and well up there in international rankings. It would be great for one of them to begin degree programs in Architecture.
 
Daveography said:
One thing I really wanted to say and didn't get an opportunity during the recording was that Edmonton real estate is still very locally-driven. That's not a bad thing in itself, but it does mean there's not a lot of outside investors bringing in their experience and design/architecture teams who are more worldly and connected to modern and trending practices. It seems like many of our local, small-time investors and developers mostly still design through a very narrow lens of what we've just always done here in Edmonton.
Click to expand...

this is SO true ! a lot of "sameness" in our local architecture in my opinion ! i'd like to see, especially in our high rise designs, a little better look to some of these. you get sameness when you constantly use the same people to design these towers.
 

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They made me a mod, so I took some time to merge a bunch of threads, particularly in the Real Estate section where I had previously gone a bit overboard with the thread creation.

If you notice it looking a bit thinner in there, that's why. Hope the way I consolidated some of the threads makes sense, and makes that section look a bit more tidy.
 
I'm told there's a forum upgrade coming Friday around 10:00pm MDT. Sounds like there will be some new features and UI changes coming.

Based on the changelog, some of my favourite features coming are:
  • Better mobile experience
  • Emoji support
  • Embed support for Facebook posts, Tweets, Instagram photos, and more
 
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