The Pulse: July 18, 2022

Edmonton's back alley transformation projects could create much-needed social space in the downtown core, says an urban planner.

"The focus has been on the main avenues, but I think it's high time now to look at what I call the nooks and crannies, like alleyways and laneways and public spaces that are available to be activated," said Sandeep Agrawal, director of the University of Alberta's School of Urban and Regional Planning.

Two alleys are expected to be transformed into public spaces this summer, thanks to a $400,000 initiative funded by the federal government, the City of Edmonton, and the Edmonton Downtown Business Association. Full details of the makeovers for spaces behind Rice Howard Way and the alley between 103 Street and 104 Street have yet to be revealed, but they will include murals and other art projects that are still in the proposal phase, the business association said.

Inner-city neighbourhoods tend to have fewer public spaces than those built in the mid-20th century, Agrawal said. New downtown residential developments bring population density, but they also contribute to the relative shortage of such areas, he added.

Creating more attractive public spaces off of the main avenues also contributes to the city's goal of drawing people back downtown and revitalizing the core, said Coun. Ashley Salvador.

"We have been trying for a long time to get folks to want to linger and hang out and spend time in our downtown, and investing in our public realm is part of that solution," said Salvador.

"I think we need to be investing in our main streets and our public realms to make them inviting places for people. I think that the alley transformation is a unique opportunity to turn underutilized, typically utilitarian places for vehicles into a place for people to hang out, socialize, spend time, and really turn our alleyways into more lively places."

• More than 175,000 people visited the combined Edmonton International Street Performers Festival and the Works Art and Design Festival in Churchill Square this year. "We really could not have asked for anything better," said Amber Rooke, the executive artistic director of the Works Art and Design Festival. "We are overjoyed with the season we had this year."
• The Edmonton Police Service said on July 15 that already in 2022 it has issued 350 violations for drivers exceeding the speed limit by 40 km/h or more, eclipsing 2021's full-year total of 252. "Needless to say, this driving behaviour increases the severity of collisions on our roadways, causing serious injuries and deaths that are completely preventable," said S/Sgt. James McLeod, with the EPS Traffic Enforcement Section.
• Additional fences and cameras outside the Archdiocese of Edmonton are among the many security measures that will be in place for the Pope's visit from July 24-27. There will also be an increase in police presence. "We need people to respect the fencing, if there is road barriers in place for vehicles, we need people to respect those things as well," Edmonton Police Service Supt. Dean Hilton told Global News.
• Church in the Vine, located at 12345 149 Street, and its pastor Tracy Fortin have been fined $80,000 for violating public health restrictions on March 7, March 14, and June 5 last year. "These were deliberate and intentional acts," Judge Shelagh Creagh said in a written decision.
• The Edmonton Riverboat set sail on July 16 for the first time in three years. "It was wonderful to see the river valley again," said Jay Esterer, the ship's owner. "It was wonderful, also, to see the smiling faces of all the people on board that got to go on that first cruise." The boat was severely damaged by ice in 2020 and required about half a million dollars in repairs, and Esterer used the opportunity to spend an additional $1 million in upgrades. "I have too much into it right now emotionally and financially to cut it up into pieces and throw it away."

This week offers several ways to up your business game, whether it be through digital transformation, networking, or understanding financing; plus music and poetry in Rainbow Valley and a supernatural story slam.

• July 18, 12pm: Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) Information Session from the Business Link
• July 19, 7pm: Snow Valley Patio Series: Marco Corbo, Caitlin Opdendries, Meghan Eaker, Alexander Shay from the Edmonton Public Library
• July 20, 4:30pm: Speed Leads with the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce
• July 20, 7pm: Edmonton Story Slam: Supernatural Edition in partnership with On Spec
• July 20-24: C-Tribe Festival
• July 21, 10:30am: Shareholder Loans and the Tax Implications for Incorporated Businesses from Alberta Women Entrepreneurs

Find even more listings in Taproot's weekly roundups.

Photo: Edmonton Story Slam happens at 9910 109 Street on the third Wednesday of every month. (Facebook)