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Urban Development and Proposals Discussion

Are these communities thriving, or are there lots of projects under construction because interest rates are low and private equity wants to diversify from TO/Van?

I truly hope this goes well for the city and folks continue to come to YYC. Just hard to imagine all of these towers getting filled
It's a good question - and it's certainly not a universal "everyone is thriving" reality. Definitely some buildings and market sectors are crushed right now, but many are reasonably okay as well.

When we say that urban neighbourhoods are thriving a key point is that 2019 urban neighbourhoods experienced their highest populations ever, this was even after 4 years into a oil-induced decline. Their populations continue to creep up and up and have largely done so for about 2 to 3 decades. This is not a statistic that is typically mentioned in the newspaper headlines speculating on Calgary as the "next Detroit". Clearly there is something else going on here beyond the doom-and-gloom headlines.

I think what's changed is the city itself. It's bigger and more diversified in what people want and what people do. Along those lines, urban living and urbanism are appreciated concepts here now (by our standards) - this is not the same as 1980, 1990 or 2000 in Calgary. So thriving might be the wrong word as a whole - but it certainly is not a story of urban collapse and decline (ironically, in the 1960s and 1970s it was the booms that destroyed urban neighbourhoods, not the bust). It's something else.
 
Are these communities thriving, or are there lots of projects under construction because interest rates are low and private equity wants to diversify from TO/Van?

I truly hope this goes well for the city and folks continue to come to YYC. Just hard to imagine all of these towers getting filled
I would say so. The units under construction have corresponded pretty close to population growth in these communities, so it's not as thought they are sitting empty. Not to say there isn't challenges with office vacancy and the economy. And we'll have to see if this growth continues through COVID and all the other craziness that is going on.
This is not a statistic that is typically mentioned in the newspaper headlines speculating on Calgary as the "next Detroit". Clearly there is something else going on here beyond the doom-and-gloom headlines.
National media gets a lot more hits with the doom and gloom stories about Calgary and Alberta. The CBC ran a piece about Calgary's economiy a day after the Herald reported on a record year for VC funding in Calgary and neglected to even mention it, even when they interviewed Mary Moran from the CED about the tech industry.
 
I would say so. The units under construction have corresponded pretty close to population growth in these communities, so it's not as thought they are sitting empty. Not to say there isn't challenges with office vacancy and the economy. And we'll have to see if this growth continues through COVID and all the other craziness that is going on.

National media gets a lot more hits with the doom and gloom stories about Calgary and Alberta. The CBC ran a piece about Calgary's economiy a day after the Herald reported on a record year for VC funding in Calgary and neglected to even mention it, even when they interviewed Mary Moran from the CED about the tech industry.

Absolutely sick of the constant negative Alberta articles from the CBC to be honest. It seems to be an agenda from their editors for clicks by the rest of Canada. It's borderline snobbery and contempt to be honest.
 
Absolutely sick of the constant negative Alberta articles from the CBC to be honest. It seems to be an agenda from their editors for clicks by the rest of Canada. It's borderline snobbery and contempt to be honest.
That's okay, they just got what? Another $34 million of our money to prop up their pathetically run, pseudo journalism outlet.
 
A new proposal for Saddleridge. Nothing special, but the ethnic look is a nice change from the usual suburban development, and it provides affordable housing to women and children in need.


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Yiiiiikes. The designers of Edmonton's Venetian coming to town?

Well, at least it's affordable housing, retail, near a rapid transit station.
 
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I'm trying to think where it could be going. There are no more significant lots in the Saddletowne Circle... is there a new retail node forming in the undeveloped area of Saddleridge?
 
As usual, I am more upset by the bizarre setback/lawn setup that is drawn in there than the building itself. Why must an urban-format, 6 storey building have useless front lawns that raise operating costs and undermine pedestrian access, all for no reason?

Barf, as they say.
 
It's not the prettiest project ever, but I prefer it to the average suburban development. Too bad about the setbacks, but if they used concrete instead of grass, it would improve it.
 

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