Archive for 'Downtown Revitalization'
A Godless box for Higgins & Main
Robert Galston, The Rise and Sprawl
Comparisons to residential schools are out of line…
…this is more like a maximum security prison.
If architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was right when he said “God is in the details,” then the conceptual drawing for Youth For Christ’s recreation centre renders a Godless box.
This is architecture formless and [...]
Posted: February 26th, 2010 under Architecture, Civic Beauty, Downtown Revitalization.
Comments: none
Street View reveals the TRUth: street parking abounds downtown
Don’t try this in Chicago.
The dreaded surface lots in the background are about 70% full, so most of these were shot during weekday business hours.
The problem here is that all parking downtown is 2h restricted, forcing you into a private lot if you want to drive to work, and guaranteeing fines for overnight guests of [...]
Posted: December 3rd, 2009 under Civic Beauty, Downtown Revitalization, Infrastructure, Tourism.
Comments: 8
Parking is the problem, not the answer
Robert Galston, Winnipeg Free Press
Headed south down Waterfront Drive on an unseasonably warm November afternoon, the row of new condo buildings lining the winding roadway met my eye.
Architecturally, none of these buildings are notable for anything but average attempts at cartoonish “heritage” design, but taken together, perhaps with eyes squinted a little bit, they gave [...]
Posted: November 29th, 2009 under Architecture, Civic Beauty, Downtown Revitalization.
Comments: none
Don’t fear the chain store
Commercial viability is more desirable than empty lots
Robert Galston, University of Winnipeg Uniter
A small commercial building is under construction at a vacant corner of Sherbrook Street and Westminster Avenue. The main tenant of the building will be a Subway restaurant. Like Stella’s Bakery next door, this small development has been regarded as an attempt to [...]
Posted: November 5th, 2009 under Downtown Revitalization, Infrastructure, Urban Studies.
Comments: 1
Union tower a beacon for downtown
Robert Galston, Winnipeg Free Press
It’s easy to get excited about the plans Red River College has for the Union Bank tower on Main Street. Built in 1904, it is a true example the early skyscrapers, not only by virtue of its height, but by its adaptation of classical orders to a tall building. Reaching 11 [...]
Posted: October 25th, 2009 under Architecture, Civic Beauty, Downtown Revitalization, Heritage Preservation, Historic Winnipeg.
Comments: none
Heritage Winnipeg applauds 89-year-old building’s demolition
Commentary by Donovan Fontaine, via Facebook Protect the Heritage Buildings of Winnipeg from Demolition by Neglect
As it is evident from [this story, "Grain Exchange Annex to face demolition"], Heritage Winnipeg appears to be failing Winnipeg in regards to its stated goal of “restoration, rehabilitation and preservation of Winnipeg’s built environment.”
Posted: July 23rd, 2009 under Architecture, Downtown Revitalization, Heritage Preservation, Historic Winnipeg, Urban Studies.
Comments: none
TRUMail – July 1, 2009
Transit Riders’ Union of Winnipeg:
I totally agree with you and believe that the downtown part of the rapid transit should be built underground from the start and no other system considered for the central area. Other parts of the system could be built underground as finances permit.
Gordon Linney
Posted: July 1st, 2009 under Architecture, Civic Beauty, Downtown Revitalization, Infrastructure, TRUMail, Transit.
Comments: none
Looking back on our future
Uniter.ca
April 2, 2009
The Downtown Development Plan of 1969
by Robert Galston
By the 1960s the teeming optimism that permeated Winnipeg’s civic condition at the turn of the century had long since vanished. Never mind Chicago of the North, the city was poised to play second fiddle to Calgary and Edmonton. In the midst of the jet age, [...]
Posted: May 1st, 2009 under Downtown Revitalization, Heritage Preservation, Historic Winnipeg, Mixed Use, New Urbanism, Urban Sprawl.
Comments: none
What’s your Walk Score?
Urbanites now have a new tool to determine the walkability of a potential new neighborhood (or any location)—WalkScore.com, which performs its miraculous calculations based on proven criteria and information provided by Google Maps.
How do Winnipeg neighborhoods measure up? The intersection of River Avenue and Osborne Street—the hub of Osborne Village, considered Winnipeg’s most pedestrian-friendly neighborhood—gets [...]
Posted: April 13th, 2009 under Downtown Revitalization, Mixed Use, New Urbanism, Tourism, Transit, Urban Sprawl, Urban Studies.
Comments: none
Winnipeg has a subway plan — so let’s get digging!
One more way you can show your support for subterranean rail transit in Winnipeg—join our Facebook group:
Winnipeg has a subway plan—so let’s get digging!
With more and more Winnipeggers greeting the proposed busway system with indifference or even annoyance, the subway movement is picking up speed. After this winter, who can blame them!
Posted: April 7th, 2009 under Downtown Revitalization, Transit.
Comments: none