robpark

I am going to have to agree with Ill Tonkso and Hammo, London is the GREATEST city on earth!

Nice work! Definately flag 1!

Wow, asking to pick a favourite is quite difficult. It seems easier to list what I dislike. First off, North American suburban architecture/home design has much to be desired, especially from the 60's, 70's and 80's. It all looks the same and is not designed to last. Vinyl siding and stucco at best only last 25 years, same with asphalt shingles. It is basically a form of architecture that rose from mass production/consumerist principles where the lowest prices and highest profit became the focus of architecture, not interesting form, art and function. I also hate Modernism....Straight, clean lines, flat surfaces and boring finish materials. If anyone has ever seen a picture of the Calgary skyline, it is easy to pick out which skyscrapers were built in the 70's/80's petro-boom. If you want to see an urban core done properly (from a planning and architectural perspective) have a look at Canary Wharf in London. It is a commercial office centre, but it is laced with canals that are lined with waterside cafes, features detailed, interesting commercial architecture (Norman Foster & Partners) and is connected via the DLR (Docklands Light Railway) and the Tube network... Fantastic. It is a well thought out, supremely planned project, especially compared with the haphazard auto-centric development patterns seen in Western North America. I also happen to love Art Nouveau, Gothic, Roman/Greek, Baroque/Rococo, Neo-classical, Renaissance, Post Modern..... Almost anything that incorporates form, art and function..... That's my two cents... Rob.

Alright, one more post as requested, and then we'll call it quits...However, I am somewhat saddened by the fact that people who are obviously interested in the mechanics of cities/urban regions would poo poo a little hearty discussion...Nevertheless, in respect of others' feelings I will wrap this up. First off, StatsCan does list figures for urban regions...I am weary to use them simply because Calgary is the only Canadian city that is considered whole in itself..in other words, where Edmonton has many bedroom communities around it, Calgary is considered an entity unto itself. This information comes straight from Max Foran (attended a lecture of his) a noted expert on the history of Alberta. I use 2001 Statistics simply because those are the latest concrete numbers from Statscan.. The 2001 numbers for a CMA(Census Metropolitan Area)are: Calgary- 951,395, % Growth=15.8% 5083 Square Kms Edmonton- 937,845, % Growth=8.7% 9418.62 Square Kms As you can see, Calgary's pop is still slightly higher, and the growth rate still twice as high, even though its CMA is half the size. If Calgary's CMA was comparable to Edmonton's and reflected cities that depend on Calgary as their hub, the numbers would be more along the lines of 1,070,833...and I by no means got every city in the area...so the number is likely much higher.....This number includes Okotoks, Airdrie, CHestermere,Cochrane, DeWinton, Fort MacLeod, Turner Valley, Black Diamond, Millarville, High River, Strathmore, Jumping Pound, Balzac, Priddis and more.... I am just showing you with official government stats that Calgary is indeed quite a bit larger than Edmonton, and if you wish to refute these figures, contact Statistics Canada or the Canadian Government...I am not proving Calgary is better with these numbers, just that it is bigger. As far as the pride of the CFL goes...well...isn't Toronto saying the SAME thing right now...Just a thought.... In response to Feepa on my creating a CJ on Calgary...I have been tempted, very much so...but like TJD, I find myself with little time to work on such a thing, and honestly, do not have the motivation for such pursuits as TJD....He is truly doing a magnificent job and should be commended, as he has been with his Trixie award. My debate here was not to distract nor degrade his work, I simply thought that some people might appreciate a lively discussion now and then. I know I sure do. I thank TJD for the link to Emporis....I have found that website before and for the life of me couldn't find it again as I could not remember the name.... As far as the CFL and NHL goes...I HATE football, so Edmonton can take the crown for that, really...You guys are likely the better team anyways (at least last year you were!). NHL I enjoy, but am not obsessed with, so again...I refuse to say a city can be better by the quality of its NHL team...The NHL team may leave, but the city still lives. West Edmonton Mall, however...is a MAJOR hatred of mine. PLease don't mistaken my passion as being juvenile. I am 21 and have been researching Canadian cities for 3 years now. I just simply can't stand the place. It represents the summation of the forces that have destroyed thriving urban places. It signifies the dominance of suburbia and the loss of character of individual places. It is architecturally delapidated (although, I agree that the Galleon pool and European street are nice) and a blight on the landscape. The construction of the mall leached business out of Edmonton's CBD and has caused numerous retail and food service industries in the core to shut down. The mall is an EVIL loss of money that ruins the liveliness and character of the neighbourhoods around it. I am glad no such thing exists in Calgary... Although, there is a plan to build a mall LARGER than West Ed, I hope with all I can hope with, that the plan never gets off the drawing board. Soccer rocks, kudos to Edmonton....I'll have to catch a game sometime... I admit the river valley is much nicer in Edmonton, but I also must add that I enjoy waking up to see the Rocky Mountains every morning. Both cities from the expansion of suburban hell and both cities suffer from an infrastructure deficit that is caused directly by government underfunding. I didn't say U of A doesn't have an engineering program...It does NOT feature any studies in Urban topics nor architectural...so...it isn't even an option for me. My sister is a resident in Edmonton attending U of A, and she loves it, so I can't fault you on that... Our LRT has many more stops, but because of underfunding and RAPID growth, has not enough cars, so people are treated like cattle...Both cities seem to have penchant for developing gargantuan road networks and ignoring the greater benefits of a comprehensive mass transit program.... Calgary will likely remain a hub for Olympic activity as the facilities are getting an overhaul AND our higher elevation acts a natural performance boost when athletes compete at lower altitudes. Jayman68...competition and lively debate, when backed up with facts is not petty. It is a means to convey ideas and understand how other people think. Don't knock something simply because you do not understand it. Opinion denotes that the conversation is without fact, whereas I have gone to great lengths to obtain relevant info to back my claims...I dare you to poke holes in my arguments. Anyhow, this is long enough, and I thank those members who had constructive input. I will likely write a paper on Cities and rivalries at some point, and this forum has been most informative. If you want an irrefutable fact; Calgary and Edmonton are best when they work together, check this out: http://www.mapleleafcard.info/special%20report/Western%20Tiger_National%20Post_030423.htm Thank you TJD for the space in your CJ for this discussion, if you wish to further this correspondance (and I invite you to!), you can email me at robpark12@hotmail.com Good night.

Hahaha, yeah dude, I couldn't resist stirring the pot! First of all, I wouldn't say our past is ugly, let's just say....colourful. Now, lets get into some facts. Firstly, let's deal with population: According to Statistics Canada in 2001: City of Calgary-878,866, % Growth 14.4% City of Edmonton-666,104, % Growth 8.1% Which leads me to my second point, which questions how Edmonton will exceed the population of Calgary by 2010, if in 2001 you guys were already 200,000+ behind AND had just over half the growth rate of Calgary. You can't be smaller, and growing slower and EXCEED an already larger and faster growing city...It is mathematically impossible. Then one brings up the Stanley Cup issue...and yes, Edmonton has had more. And honestly, the Edmonton Oilers have had better management and a better team when they weren't winning the cup. That said, I feel sorry for ANY municipality that has only hockey to promote itself. And yes, after the Calgary Flames made their run to the cup LAST year, this city went nuts over hockey.... BUt it isn't all we can see...in fact it is so inconsequential to the city in general, that I don't understand why it is such a big deal. Same goes for the CFL. I feel the need to point out that Commonwealth Stadium, although bigger, also cost more to build and has never paid itself off, nor does it fill with fans for Eskimos games, so the fact that it is large merely points to a city that spent far too much money on a stadium that rarely gets filled. I don't know where you get your numbers from in regards to the arenas, I can only assume you are correct. Neither arena is particulrily nice, although the Saddledome features nifty flamethrowers that make giant fireballs when the Flames score. Although the Saddledome is architecturally bizarre, it is MUCH nicer to look at than Rexall PLace. Congratulations, that concrete swath of destruction that is West Edmonton Mall is your city's greatest claim to fame...That's like telling people to go to Edmonton to see the world's largest Walmart, or perhaps the world's ugliest fat person. Sorry, the world's ugliest money-losing fat person. The only reason that Calgary's and Edmonton's river valleys are undeveloped is not because people needed a park to play in; the simple fact is the developers and the City are too lazy to try and develop the more difficult geography. I can without reservation say, however, that Edmonton's river valley is MUCH nicer. Heritage Park is Calgary's answer to Fort Edmonton and is Canada's Largest living Historical Village. Want to know more, go to www.heritagepark.ca I have never been to Fort Edmonton, so I cannot criticize, but I do know for a fact that Heritage Park is a lot of fun and has a lot to offer, like a working steam train (actually, several) and a working Paddle Steamer boat (which sadly, is fuelled by diesel). Calgary too has a Science Centre, Art galleries and museums, and a cultural district to waste your time in. I really don't care about the University rating system. The fact is the U of A does not offer any Urban or Architectural programs, so it is completely useless to me. Each university has its strengths, it is just unfortunate that MacLean's, for some reason, classifies U of C as a primarily medical school, when in fact more people go through engineering, law and other faculties. One thing is for certain, you want a cushy job in the oil sector, you had better go to U of C! I could give you the FULL history of how Edmonton became the capital of Alberta, but needless to say it involved LIBERAL politics and unfair voting boundaries, giving Edmonton 7 or 8 Reps and Calgary only 1. Let's just say we got our revenge when the Alberta Government placed the government administrative body for the oil industry in Calgary in 1938. Basically, when oil was struck in Leduc, just south of Edmonton, all of the money and the white collar jobs went to Calgary, a trend that continues today. Indeed Calgary has COP (Canada Olympic Park), the Zoo and a newer downtown (because we have been growing faster then Edmonton)... We have a more COMPREHENSIVE LRT system, but I would not say it is better. The decision to leave the LRT surface level through downtown will inevitably lead to complications later...... Calgary was the proud host of the 1988 Winter Olympics, the most successful and profitable games ever held. The surplus now fund countless amateur sports programs and Calgary is the training mecca for olympic athletes in Canada. Calgary has all of the premier horse showjumping events, the Calgary Stampede (for some reason missing from your previous list, and MUCH bigger and famous than Edmonton's Klondike days), the World Police and Fire Games, staging ground for the G8, countless Petroleum expos and more millionaires per capita than ANY city in Canada. Calgary also features the most Company HQs outside of Toronto and has received international recoginition in countless publications (USA Today[a full feature article all about how awesome Calgary really is], The Boyd Report [best place in Canada to do business], The Economist [more business stuff] and so on.....). Yes indeed we are the financial and oil capital of the province. The population is MUCH higher than Edmonton, and much wealthier. Calgary has been, for the last decade, the fastest growing city in Canada and continues to play host to the highest educated work force in Canada (58% have a university degree or better). To TJD, I would love a link to where you obtained the skyscraper info from. I would find it very informative for a paper I am writing.... Put on your gloves boys, because if I know anything about the rivalry between Calgary and Edmonton...this is just beginning... Take Care!

Hey gang! My name is Rob and I am a university student at the University of Calgary, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Calgary is a city of about 1 million, and with surrounding area exceeds that number. Currently working towards my degree in Urban Studies (city design/social issues), which I will follow up with my M Arch, perhaps specializing in community design and skyscrapers/highrises. Really love what I do, and can't wait to finish school and get to tackle city stuff head on! I work part time at an insurance brokerage.

Superb recreation of Edmonton...You must be truly dedicated to this project. It would be nice to see a recreation of Calgary, Alberta's largest city, not to mention the seat of the financial and oil sectors, and see it placed next to Edmonton to recreate the economic corridor. Too much work, I know.... Oh, and to stir up the age-old rivalry, although both cities have their good points, Calgary is definately the superior city . For those who don't believe, and I am sure there are a lot of you, check out the article that appeared in USA Today on Nov. 10, 2004 Calgary Leaves Cowtown Image in the Dust. If you can't find a copy, I can email you the details. Adios amigos..