David Suzuki calls Calgary an "ecological disaster"

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by Bend it like Bourgeois

I don't buy that for a second.

I've seen numbers that suggest that it is true.
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001334.html

No idea if these numbers are verified, but I've seen similar numbers in several locations.

[guzzy]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

The majority of hot air emissions in this country come from that windbag..

My nomination for post of the year

Fantastic...I couldn't agree more

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Has it? Or has high gas prices done that for you? Just curious to know. I bet you'd be driving if gas was back to $.70/litre...

You could take that bet, but you'd lose it like taking edmonton on a sports select! My drop in driving has been due to the area I moved to. I'm a 15 minute walk or a 2 minute bus ride to the Somerset LRT station. Being the end of the line, there is almost always a train (or two) there, so not only do I rarely ever wait but I also always get a seat.

I'm one of those people you see in traffic pulling a "Samir from office space" in my car. I get a firm grip of the wheel and scream at nothing. I'm not an aggressive driver mind you, I just find sitting in traffic to be one of the most annoying things one can partake in. I much rather starting my day by sitting on a train for 45 minutes watching episodes of Dexter on my iphone than spending 30 minutes angrily cursing and freaking out. I've noticed my mood has improved overall since I stopped driving in the mornings.

Furthermore, the proximity and awesomeness of Shawnessy has me driving a lot less. Whereas I used to be close to Market Mall, Northland mall, Dalhousie and Brentwood, I now find Shawnessy has most of the important stores within it. I no longer need to go hopping from mall to mall as I can now do most things in one place. That probably falls into what MarchHare was saying about newer communities being developed to eliminate the need to travel too much.

I also drive a fairly fuel efficient car, so gas prices haven't hit me as much as others with suv's or trucks. Frankly I hope gas prices keep climbing so people will make more environmental decisions when buying new cars.

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by Muta

I see nothing wrong with having kids play in a park; people in cities all over the world do it. In fact, they get more usage than a backyard does and takes up ALOT less space (per person).

Backyards are a big contributing factor to urban sprawl. Always have been.

This is why I'm completely unconvinced by the argument that people "need" a backyard for their kids, given the size of most yards in suburban Calgary. You could make that argument if you were talking about backyards similar to the one shown in my image of suburban Saint John (which is precisely why my parents moved to the suburbs when my sister and I were kids), but zoning residential lots of that size is completely unsustainable in a large metropolitan area.

The typical Calgary backyard isn't big enough to accomodate play for children older than say, 4 or 5 years. After that, they need to go to the community park/schoolyard anyway. It's absolutely true that kids need space to play, but the only spaces large enough in Calgary are found in community parks, whether the parks are in the suburbs or in the core.

[guzzy]

I think this is a fantastic vaccine but it really accentuates the need for parents to explain the need of condoms. When I grew up the emphasis was on HIV and other STD's. If you show the stats of today (83% of all women carry HPV) and show that HPV and cervical cancer are STD's, that is a big threat. To me that is a bigger threat than herpes or HIV.

It is a very treatable cancer but if you don't go for your yearly check up as a women, bad things could happen and that cancer can spread rapidly. The govt and parents need to really educate our children on this disease as it effects a lot more women than herpes and HIV.

[LChoy]

Originally Posted by guzzy

I think this is a fantastic vaccine but it really accentuates the need for parents to explain the need of condoms. When I grew up the emphasis was on HIV and other STD's. If you show the stats of today (83% of all women carry HPV) and show that HPV and cervical cancer are STD's, that is a big threat. To me that is a bigger threat than herpes or HIV.

It is a very treatable cancer but if you don't go for your yearly check up as a women, bad things could happen and that cancer can spread rapidly. The govt and parents need to really educate our children on this disease as it effects a lot more women than herpes and HIV.

While I agree with your post, what does it have to do with Calgary being called an "ecological disaster"

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by 4X4

So? You need a car to get to Deerfoot Meadows, so why wouldn't they design the place accordingly?

As for urban sprawl, not everyone wants to live in an apartment downtown. Some people, believe it or not, like having a backyard for their kids to play in. I know it's totally unreasonable to you, Mr. Suzuki, but it's true.

Privelage, not a right.

Not picking on you personally here, 4X4.

In Canada, 3 people per square kilometer. Divorce rate at 48%.
http://www.divorcerate.org/divorce-rates-in-canada.html

In Japan, 138 people people per square kilometer. Divorce rate at 27%.
http://www.divorcerate.org/divorce-rate-japan.html

You do not need a backyard to raise kids. Based on most data, I would argue that a much denser population with shared backyards, or no yards but more parks/greenspace is directly correlated to the quality of family and community relationships.

And yes, I have been to Japan.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by fotze

I probably agree with you on this issue but for the majority of Calgarians they do not agree that the city has disgraceful sprawl and that is all that matters. The citizens ultimately vote on the people that run the and plan the city so the citizens are the planners of the city and they have the city they have made. Suburbanites complain about traffic but they don't complain about the sprawl and have no problem.

As someone who is not a fan of the way the city is designed and would actually like it to be different it is frustrating when fatanuts like Suzuki say things like that using a communication style that have a 100% chance of having the opposite effect. Calgarians will see that comment and drive an extra 30 miles today just for the hell of it.

It is so unconstructive for Suzuki to say things in that fashion that it actually makes me wonder if Suzuki deep down doesn't want these things he argues for because if some day the sky is determined to not be falling, society no longer needs the sky is falling alarm guy. That or he gets a free Matcha tea latte in Kitsilano because the checkout guy wearing the hempbeads loved that he stuck it to Calgary.

This sums it up fairly well actually. By acting like a lunatic and making overly dramatic and exaggerated statements Suzuki shoots his own cause in the foot.

Half of the message is delivery, and to be honest, at this point I dont think anybody gives a fata about what Suzuki thinks anymore.

[habernac]

so the divorce rate is related directly to urban sprawl? LOL!

[Russic]

If he doesn't support the vaccine that he's only contributing to Calgary becoming a vaginal disaster as well.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

This is why I'm completely unconvinced by the argument that people "need" a backyard for their kids, given the size of most yards in suburban Calgary. You could make that argument if you were talking about backyards similar to the one shown in my image of suburban Saint John (which is precisely why my parents moved to the suburbs when my sister and I were kids), but zoning residential lots of that size is completely unsustainable in a large metropolitan area.

The typical Calgary backyard isn't big enough to accomodate play for children older than say, 4 or 5 years. After that, they need to go to the community park/schoolyard anyway. It's absolutely true that kids need space to play, but the only spaces large enough in Calgary are found in community parks, whether the parks are in the suburbs or in the core.

Agreed. And us living in Calgary have luxuries of big, beautiful parks at our slightest disposal: Prince's Island Park, Confederation Park, Fish Creek Park, Bowness, Nose Hill... not to mention the schools that usually have BIG schoolyards as well (for example, my high school that I went to, Queen Elizabeth, has a MASSIVE schoolyard... and that school is in the inner core).

People should be using these facilities; they're big, beautiful and best of all, free. No hundreds of thousands of dollars needed for personal investment here.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Originally Posted by octothorp

I've seen numbers that suggest that it is true.
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001334.html

No idea if these numbers are verified, but I've seen similar numbers in several locations.

Wow. I sit corrected. My apologies to Pagan.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by Muta

Just for comparison's sake... here's some population densities of similar-sized cities (in terms of population), and their city area (just the city; not any metro areas and densities):

Area:

1. Ottawa: 2,778.64 km²
2. Jacksonville: 2,264.5 km²
3. Phoenix: 1,334.1 km²
4. San Antonio: 1,067.3 km²
5. Dallas: 997.1 km²
6. San Diego: 963.6 km²
7. Calgary: 726.50 km²
8. Edmonton: 684.37 km²
9. San Jose: 461.5 km²
10. Detroit: 370.2 km²

Population Density:

1. Detroit: 2,647/km²
2. San Jose: 2,014.4/km²
3. San Diego: 1,494.7/km²
4. Dallas: 1,391.9/km²
5. Calgary: 1,360.2/km²
6. Phoenix: 1,188.4/km²
7. Edmonton: 1,099.4/km²
8. San Antonio: 1,084.4/km²
9. Jacksonville: 409.89/km²
10. Ottawa: 219.8/km²

Keep in mind, the only thing similar about these cities are their populations.

First off, completely disregard Ottawa, as it is the capital city of Canada and due to the sheer number of federal and government buildings, it understandably is a large area in size; however, it is the exception and not the rule.

Other than that, it appears that Calgary is middle of the pack when it comes to area and density; metro area and desnity, however, may be another story.

The thing about comparing Calgary to other cities, is that you have to compare us to their Metro versions.

Where cities like Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal etc have a clearly defined city proper and clearly defined external suburbs... Calgary does not. Calgary is one gigantic city proper.

Rocky Ridge is not a suburb. It is a community within the Calgary city limits.
Mackenzie Town is not a suburb. It is a community within the Calgary city limits.
Forest Lawn is not a suburb. It is a community within the Calgary city limits.

etc etc etc.

So, you have to compare the pop density of Calgary vs the pop density of Metro TO or Metro Vancouver... not TO City or Van City.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Locke

This sums it up fairly well actually. By acting like a lunatic and making overly dramatic and exaggerated statements Suzuki shoots his own cause in the foot.

Half of the message is delivery, and to be honest, at this point I dont think anybody gives a fata about what Suzuki thinks anymore.

Thirded.

As a Canadian once said, the medium is the message. So long as a freakshow stands as the medium, the intended message will be completely lost.

I do like Fotze's idea of driving 30km just to spite him.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

Privelage, not a right.

Not picking on you personally here, 4X4.

In Canada, 3 people per square kilometer. Divorce rate at 48%.
http://www.divorcerate.org/divorce-rates-in-canada.html

In Japan, 138 people people per square kilometer. Divorce rate at 27%.
http://www.divorcerate.org/divorce-rate-japan.html

You do not need a backyard to raise kids. Based on most data, I would argue that a much denser population with shared backyards, or no yards but more parks/greenspace is directly correlated to the quality of family and community relationships.

And yes, I have been to Japan.

Whoah. That's a little loose with the connections isn't it? I can say there's also a positive correlation between population density and liking Godzilla movies too, but that doesn't make it factual.

[millhouse11]

I love my huge back yard. I play catch back there with my kids, they have a trampoline, we have a firepit that I roast hotdogs on for the neighbourhood kids on sundays. It's awesome.

Part of the problem I see with raising a family in an apartment, is usually that parent's now a days are too busy to take their kids to the park. Plus, there is a fear out there that you can't leave your little ones at the park alone.
I like being able to work in my garage and watch my boys playing street hockey out front. You can't do that in an apartment. where the heck can you store a hockey net. I know some of you will say you just use a couple of boots for a net, but then they never learn to pick the corner.

I'm with the rednecks on this one, not the hippies.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Originally Posted by fotze

As part of the anti-sprawl team can we trade both Suzuki and Traditional_Ale to the other side for Bend it Like Bourgeois and a 3rd round draft pick?

I haven't requested a trade nor been asked to waive my no trade clause.

Why do you guys in the media have to be so frickin negative all the time.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

The thing about comparing Calgary to other cities, is that you have to compare us to their Metro versions.

Where cities like Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal etc have a clearly defined city proper and clearly defined external suburbs... Calgary does not. Calgary is one gigantic city proper.

Rocky Ridge is not a suburb. It is a community within the Calgary city limits.
Mackenzie Town is not a suburb. It is a community within the Calgary city limits.
Forest Lawn is not a suburb. It is a community within the Calgary city limits.

etc etc etc.

Excellent points, too. I did make it clear that these weren't the metro populations, either... just cities with statistically similar populations.

I can definitely try and whip up those cities' metropolitan statistics this afternoon if I have some time; afterall, the issue is about the urban sprawl of these metro areas.

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by habernac

so the divorce rate is related directly to urban sprawl? LOL!

Your entire life as you know it is directly related to your environment.

The argument was made that to have a family and family life with kids they need a backyard to play in.

I think its interesting how people without this neccessity of a backyard in a much higher population density manage to actually stay a family.

Only thing I'm arguing here is the comment that you need a backyard to raise kids and have a quality family life.

[MelBridgeman]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

Your entire life as you know it is directly related to your environment.

The argument was made that to have a family and family life with kids they need a backyard to play in.

I think its interesting how people without this neccessity of a backyard in a much higher population density manage to actually stay a family.

maybe its CULTURAL.
well i guess you can use any stat to make any point