Edmonton - the Good

Having been back in Edmonton now for a few weeks, after ten years living in Ontario, it's interesting to reflect on some of the changes in the city, or things that I hadn't really thought too much about before. Some surprising, some not so much. Today will be about good things; bad and ugly will follow.

First the obvious:

• the river valley, and the fact that there is a trail system that is relatively well maintained, extensive, and actually goes places
  
• a quirky culture (at least in some areas), translating into a very good set of interesting restaurants, and lots of good coffee choices
  

Some other positive things:

• a major downtown renaissance and intensification, fueled by lots of new residential, educational and business development, which actually makes the downtown a fantastic place to live and work; this probably deserves a separate post later on
  
• lots of places who are aware of and sensitive to food allergies (celiac friendly menus? wow!); admittedly this is of limited impact unless it impacts you, in which case it's worth celebrating
  
• a solid city-backed recycling program (can't tell I lived in Guelph, can you?)
  
• some suggestions that public transit (i.e. an LRT that might go somewhere useful), urban intensification, and other such commie bohemian concerns may actually be on the civic agenda
  
• lots of people walking or biking to work
  
• for the most part, a decent economy, all things considered
  
• some vibrant and informative online communities about local issues, both fairly general and about specific issues like real estate
  

More to follow...

Comments

[Ken]

where did you lived in Ontario? I am living in Toronto. Glad to follow you on Twitter (Kensfi) :)