History of West Ritchie
At the center of West Ritchie is 81st Avenue (between 102nd and 100th Street), a commercial street that feels far removed from the…
Stories tagged: urban design
From Parking Lots to Palm Trees (And Back Again): A Look Back at Heritage Mall
Brenda Hall was just 18 years old when she stepped off the bus in the community of Kaskitayo on a…
McKernan’s Lost Lake
Although the lake is no longer visible, its “ghost” is discernable on early maps and in the form of flooding…
Edmonton and Its Pedway: A Love-Hate Relationship for the Ages
The early twentieth century was a period of rapid urbanisation, with folks flooding into urban centres, including Edmonton, from the…
The History of the Latta Bridge
As you approach the bridge from the east, on the south side you will catch a glimpse of a tall…
The Edmonscona Plan
Edmonton is a city covered in names. From Capilano to Calder, from Delton to Duggan, from Ermineskin to Elsinore, our…
The Kinnaird Bridge: Connecting the Past to the Present
If you travel along 82nd Street approaching the west end of Kinnaird Park at 112 and 111 Avenues, you will…
These Bricks are Real Clinkers
Kilns used to produce bricks in the early 20th century didn’t have the ability to heat evenly, and those placed…
A Kingdom in North Edmonton: Castle Downs, 1969-1979
When I moved to Castle Downs nearly ten years ago, I saw a typical 1970s development: parks, schools, stores, churches,…
When Trolleys Came to Edmonton
For 70 years, electric trolleybuses travelled the streets of Edmonton. Between 1939 and 2009, they provided the city with an…
The Father of Edmonton’s Traffic Circles
He established the practice of “neighbourhood unit” planning. And, borrowing a popular urban design feature from his native land, he…
Re-Imagining Rossdale: Pehonan and the Power Plant
EPCOR decommissioned the Rossdale power plant in 2011 and handed it over to the City not long after I moved…