Around the world, we love our city and naturally, we want to make films about them! If you are interested in cities or community development, we are certainly in the golden age of Youtube!
During the pandemic I recall a number of commentators lamented the end of cities. They were wrong.
More and more folks are choosing to return and reinvest in cities (~20,000 people per year each year for the last ten years in Edmonton!), and making movies about them!
I’ve seen fantastic films from how we build and grow to great spaces for artists or innovative recreation for children and families. I’ve learned about historic buildings, Montreal’s Expo building, walking school buses, a local skate park strategy, seniors dance groups, and much more.
Both inspirational, and at times cautionary, I find that after watching many of these videos I truly feel like I’ve traveled.
I recently was speaking with a number of community builders about their favourite channels. Here are a few of mine... What are yours?
About Here
Oh the Urbanity
Shifter
Climate Town
Strong Towns
Not just Bikes
StreetFilms
May 1st City Hall E-News:
Events:
- May 11th - Alberta Bike Swap
- May 13th - Summer Streets launch party
- Big Bin Events This Summer!
- Fire Hall open houses
- May 25th - Harbinger Media Network Showcase
- July 1st - Mill Creek Pool reopening
News & Views
- Bill 20 is a disaster. Take action
- Housing Crisis: What is the role of the University of Alberta?
- What I'm hearing on the Old Strathcona Public Realm Strategy...
- Understanding property tax increases
The Edmonton Police Commission is refusing to share its plans for auditing the local police department with city council. Councilor Keren Tang put forward a motion in December last year to have a look at the plan, which council approved. But now the EPC says it “owns the audit function” and does not “support sharing that responsibility with council.”
- Don't fall for privatization: Chicago doesn't own their own streets (Video)
City Council recently approved a rezoning across the street from the U of A and it got me thinking about all the underutilized or unused space on the U of A main campus.
The expression I often hear at city hall is “highest and best use of city land” – in other words, land that brings benefit to the community (eg, a park or public space) or land that generates revenue for the city to offset taxes and pay for services (Industrial, commercial, residential in that order)
But what if the University of Alberta could generate revenue and mitigate the housing and climate crisis? The university already has the vehicle: the U of A Properties Trust, an arms length development corporation that pays dividends back into the U of A through innovative developments and land leases.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been meeting with several different organizations, attending meetings, door knocking, and responding to emails about the Old Strathcona Public Realm Strategy.
I wanted to share a bit of what I have been hearing and manage expectations about timelines. You can read and review the full draft plan here: https://www.edmonton.ca/sites/default/files/public-files/Old-Strathcona-Public-Realm-Strategy.pdf?cb=1713376450
