Quote:
Originally Posted by sureLoss
The difference between Edmonton and Calgary is that Edmonton badly needed that arena to kickstart the redevelopment of that area.
It is very much debatable if CalgaryNext is needed at all to develop the West Village.
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That supposes that Edmonton's downtown wouldn't have seen growth naturally or without the arena. Studies have shown that arena construction hardly kickstarts gentrification in an area, and if it does, it is just substituted growth.
Granted, part of the plan was for Katz to invest in the area (a great coup for the Katz Group in that condo and office tower investment is not included in team-revenue); however, Edmonton's downtown was already seeing steady growth over the past few years