How Edmonton Could Be San Diego If It Tried

I know, the title is making you scoff in derision, but please hear me out.

I recently returned from San Diego after spending a week there on vacation. Let me tell you, that city is something else. It has everything one could want in a city. Granted, I didn't see the entire city and really only saw the nicer parts, but I still believe that a comparison can be made.

So, let's start with the similarities.

• Both cities require means to cross water to get to other parts of the city - Edmonton to cross the river and San Diego to cross the bay to get to Coronado.
• Both cities went through explosive growth (yes, San Diego did it in the 80s and Edmonton did it more recently - but explosive growth it was)
• Both cities have a large multi-cultural component
• Both cities have an area of town that is full of restaurants, bars, and trendy shops (Whyte ave here and the Gaslamp district in San Diego)
• Both cities have extensive parks (Balboa in San Diego and the River Valley here in Edmonton - also a difference but that comes in the next list)
• Both cities have a large military component (the US Navy in San Diego and the Army here in Edmonton)
• Both cities have a height limit on downtown buildings due to an airport close to downtown (500 feet in San Diego and lower in Edmonton)
  

I am sure there are more, but this is a fairly superficial look at the two. Now let's look at the differences.

• Population - San diego is almost twice the size of Edmonton and the greater metro area is 3 times the size of the Greater Edmonton area.
• San Diego has a declining crime rate (according to Wikipedia) whereas Edmonton seems to be going in the opposite direction (based on recent news)
• San Diego actually cares about architecture and Edmonton is trying hard, but still doesn't seem to get it. Take a look at the skyline of San Diego and compare it to Edmonton's (tell me how many shoe box buildings you see in San Diego and how many in Edmonton).
  

• Balboa Park in San Diego is extensively developed with a large amount of natural areas. The Edmonton River Valley is largely natural with little development.
• San Diego has a larger homeless population (approx 7000 to Edmonton's 3000) www.rtfhsd.org and www.homewardtrust.ca/homelessness-in-edmonton

Again, I am sure there are a lot more differences, but again, just a superficial look.

So, the differences aren`t that great and the similarities are quite similar. This is good news. San Diego is a major destination for tourism and conventions with over 30 million visitors to the City and over 600,000 convertioneers. There is no reason that Edmonton can't grow into this model as well.

Edmonton is really working on improving its downtown skyline with the new art gallery and the new Epcor Tower going up. Not to mention the huge amount of condo development that has been going on. We can do more, but its a start.

Petco Park, the home of the San Diego Padres baseball team, was recently built (2004). The park was built downtown. Does this sound familiar for Edmonton residents? I believe that San Diego got around the black hole problem of a dark ball park by doing a couple of innovative things. First, they built the park on the corner of downtown so they only had to worry about 2 sides for people to visit when the stadium wasn't used. Plus, they added elements to the park that keep the facility in use when the Padres aren't at home. They show away games on a huge screen that is open to the public. They have a park attached to the stadium for use every day. They put the Padres' store on the main floor of the stadium so people can visit and shop during the day. Finally, the area where they built it is right beside the trendy area of town (imagine building the arena beside Whyte Ave). Cues we can take during this arena debate to build something amazing.

Anyway, I believe that we can truely become a great city that people want to visit and live in if we learn from cities that have already been through these trials and tribulations. We can become another San Diego (which could possibly be the cleanest city I have ever visited). Don't get me wrong, I love Edmonton, but as with everything, I want the city to be more than it can dream of.

I want to hear what you think so please comment if you wish.