Quote:
Originally Posted by Table 5
I don't think there was a previous version. You're probably thinking of the WAM proposal across the street.
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Nope. I was thinking of this. It's not a rendering, but I believe it qualifies as a "version".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigtime
Which is why I said throw out some ideas on how you can "calm" that area for the pedestrian scale.
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To me it's not about traffic calming. Bow Trail traffic is a minor factor in those blocks' unattractiveness to pedestrians. 17th Ave is arguably the best pedestrian corridor in the beltline, despite having (or maybe even because of) relatively high levels of traffic. The major factors are the total lack of a proper sidewalk on the south side of 9th Ave between 9th and 10th Street, the lack of destinations, and the surface parking lots.
Despite these factors, as a pedestrian I still sometimes prefer 9th Ave in that area over 8th Ave - it's sunnier, and there's quite often less sketchy people. "The wall" takes away light (both direct sunlight in the early morning and late evening in spring/summer/fall and indirect light at other times) and lacks sightlines that deter sketchy activity (it seems to have few ground-floor windows and doors).
As for pestrian activity in the area, I would assume that most of the flow is residents of the beltline coming into downtown via 11th Street, and residents of downtown west end heading into the beltline (also via 11th Street). While most of the downtown destinations and trip sources are north of 9th Ave, and thus there are very few people who must use it, it's a convenient option for many that if it were attractive or had retail that they wanted to visit would not be much of a detour if at all. Long term, if the parking lots around it get developed, then suddenly it's on a lot more pedestrian trips. But if that doesn't happen, by virtue of being adjacent to a busy pedestrian intersection (9th Ave and 11th Street), it's really not that bad. It could be a toe-hold for retail in the area that could help steer nearby properties to a better development route.
I'm not asking to pedestrianize 9th Ave or anything crazy like that, I'm just saying I'd much prefer a 2010s version of Calgary Place to a 2010s version of Continental Towers. It's a missed opportunity that will have long term ramifications on the community if the retail bays in WAM's proposal for Metro Ford (which shows that at least some people who know what they're doing believe that 9th Ave retail is viable) are staring accross at a blank concret wall.
