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Friday, January 7, 2011

City Centre Airport now what?

The city of Edmonton has a mandate to close the City Centre Airport... what next?


"The transformation of the City Centre Lands into an environmentally-sustainable, transit-oriented, mixed-use development for 30,000 residents continues to build momentum.  A master plan design competition for external consulting teams shortlisted the top five proposals from 33 remarkable submissions to create master plans for the 217-hectare site.  The five firms announced in August 2010 and selected to submit master plans include:
  • BNIM, from Kansas City, USA
  • Foster & Partners, from London, UK
  • KCAP Architects & Planners from Rotterdam, Netherlands
  • Perkins + Will, Vancouver, Canada
  • Sweco International AB, Stockholm, Sweden
You’re encouraged to access the following links to websites showing just some of what these innovative five companies have imagined for similar projects and have actually made happen. They will be applying their knowledge, experience and imaginations to create a world-class sustainable village near the heart of our city."  From the city of Edmonton website:   http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/planning_development/city-centre-airport-redevelopment-master-plan-competition.aspx
Here are links to the companies that will be bidding on the redevelopment lands:




What could these lands look like?
Imagine a new Alberta Aviation Museum



A line of Museums that link historic buildings all showcasing the history of Alberta in the 20th century...
Alberta Aviation, Police , Transit , Firefighter, Railway, Telephone and Telecommunications and Military Museums

Crime Pays
Police Museum
Beaver and a BOMARC
Olympic Legacy, London, 2007-present  $#$Visualization: KCAP
Imagine a well planned and executed community that puts people first

 Trains showcasing the evolution from steam to diesel and beyond... a LRT station located right in front and as each LRT arrives it to is pa
rt of the living history.


Edmonton LRT






We could have a place that for the first time incorporates the human experience and our own history.....
A place that as you drive by has planes on stands from bi planes, to Beavers, to Voodoo fighter jets and BOMARC nuclear tipped missiles.
Voodoo
People even ask if something like the Edmonton Indy could still be raced.

The answer is yes... look at the Singapore F1 series probably the most exciting race course of the entire season.  Its a street race held at night and is an incredible backdrop for the F1 series.
The Singapore F1 course held on city streets

Imagine an Edmonton City Centre development that allowed for this kind of race.
World class cities are made... now is our time to do it right.

This could be Edmonton.
Our Alberta heritage is located in several museums across the city... not all these organizations can sustain themselves long term.... combining efforts into a street of museums or even into one space makes sense.  
They have the collections but they don't have the proper space to tell Alberta's history
Alberta Street of the 20th Century Museums all combining efforts to tell Alberta's history
Imagine if they combined their efforts and became the Museums of the 20th century:

Alberta Aviation Museum
Alberta Railway Museum
Edmonton Radial Rail Society
Telephone Historical Centre
Loyal Edmonton Regiment
418 City of Edmonton Squadron Foundation
Edmonton Power Museum
Historical Transit Vehicle Collection
Edmonton Police Museum
Ukrainian Canadian Archives and Museum
there are many more....
Fort Worth's 11 acre mixed development located in the cultural area (est cost $250 million)
The question of cost can easily be looked at in two ways... 
What is the cost of losing your history?
  In a more practical way if the development is built with museums, green space, practical development, sustainable, LEED construction.... people will buy into it, Edmontonian's are smart they will want to be part of something that is truly exciting.  
Tourists will come, people will want to be a part of the process, tenant will pay tax, home owners will pay property tax, businesses will pay business tax, people will use the LRT and transit systems and the Museums will be busy.... 

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