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Hawrelak park soft reopening is tomorrow - Friday March 13th! Grab your family and go down for a walk in our central park. The official welcome party and grand opening will be May 30th. (Learn more)
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Expect to see more infill for sale, not rent.
I've heard from a number of builders recently that they are moving away from the small scale rental and moving towards small scale units built for sale as individual units.
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For example, Qualico Streetside is building three-bedroom townhouses expected to sell for under $300,000. These are ground-oriented, three-bedroom townhouses with basements. I believe one is under construction right now close to NAIT & the NAIT LRT.
Rent or own? That's up to the individual builder. For decades, developers have built and sold duplexes, triplexes, and other configurations as condominium units. This isn't new. I remember I almost purchased 1/3rd of a triplex in Queen Alex a decade ago. Ultimately, banks only lend money and builders will only build what sells and generates a profit. If not, they will leave their funds in an RRSP, or the banks will refuse to lend money and the land remains as-is and no new housing is built. With major projects like 6 or 8 story buildings becoming riskier to finance given tariffs and trade wars, it is harder and harder to get major projects off the ground. Small projects such as creating units for sale are desirable for small families and for builders. |
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As more rental supply is constructed and rental vacancy rates increase, we can expect more builders to pivot to providing product for sale rather than for rent.
Landlords currently know that it is very much a "renters market," and they are lowering rents and offering incentives like reduced rent, gift cards, utility payments, free parking and much more. This is great for renters but also for our city as a whole. We know that higher rent drives homelessness. How can you learn more about what is happening in your community? If you are thinking about building a garage suite, constructing an infill, making changes to your property, or signing up for notifications about what is happening around Edmonton, please visit www.edmonton.ca/infill to learn more. |
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Urbanism in Times of War and Crisis: How Low-Tech Solutions Will Futureproof Our Life-Sized Cities In this keynote, Mikael Colville-Andersen draws on his urbanist observations about pandemic response and from living and volunteering in Ukraine during the full-scale invasion to explore what cities reveal about themselves when systems fail. Blending global observations from COVID-19 with front line dispatches from wartime Ukraine, this talk examines how urban life contracts, adapts and rebuilds under pressure. As the climate crisis accelerates, prevention alone is no longer enough. The urgent question is how we mitigate its impact on daily urban life. This keynote offers a clear, provocative framework for future-proofing our cities — not through complexity, but through fundamentals. |
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About the Speaker: Mikael Colville-Andersen has spent his career in Denmark and his documentary series, “The Life Sized City” highlights cities from around the world. In April 2022, Mikael was contacted by urban planning colleagues in Ukraine, asking if he could source used bikes to send to Ukrainian cities. Little did he know then that the project he would start would dominate his life well into 2023. His stories will help inspire you and your neighbours with new ideas on how we can change the urban landscape for the better. Mikael shows examples from cities as diverse as Medellin, Tokyo, Toronto, Mexico, Copenhagen, Cape Town - to name but a few - and calls the audience to action to follow the lead of urban citizens everywhere. As we face the greatest crisis in human history - climate change - it is important to look for lessons to learn from other recent and ongoing crises. |
The Alberta Government is attacking our freedom to read. Help fight for your freedom and tell Premier Smith that now more than ever we need more freedom to read, not less. You can't be strong and free without the freedom to read.
Here is my statement in support.
As the price of gas skyrockets, this newsletter is about how I am pushing to reduce traffic and congestion while making public transit better. Read on how you can help...
But first... Have you seen this fantastic video from Translink? While they might look ‘empty’ at times, bus lanes can move more people than regular traffic lanes, creating a more efficient and sustainable transportation network.
Whether you are retired, looking for professional development at your job, or a student considering future careers, this is an incredibly valuable few hours of your time.
