Edmonton needs these

[24karat]

I saw several of these in Holland. Wouldn't it be nice if Edmonton was to have such
machines to clean the sidewalks in the downtown, Old Strathcona and 124 Street?

[Sonic Death Monkey]

I thought we did? I saw one downtown earlier this week.

[alex69]

What edmonton truly needs is not the paving stones and things to clean them with in the foreground, but what stands in the background.

[richardW]

^so the city of Edmonton should get into property development now? interesting.

[IanO]

We have 1 or 2 similar machines, I see them quite often, but am not convinced they are worthwhile considering what I see out there.

[ajs]

Living in Germany I got used to how every morning and every afternoon you would see retailers/business owners outside with a pushbroom. A little bit of effort goes a long way. Those sidewalk vacuum trucks the city has are obnoxiously loud.

[Chmilz]

Originally Posted by alex69

What edmonton truly needs is not the paving stones and things to clean them with in the foreground, but what stands in the background.

Unless you have a time machine, Edmonton won't get 500 years of history.

[alex69]

Originally Posted by Chmilz

Unless you have a time machine, Edmonton won't get 500 years of history.

We have about 250 years' worth.

Don't kid yourself about the buildings. They're just containers, and what's in them is modern.

[DanC]

Originally Posted by alex69

We have about 250 years' worth.

Don't kid yourself about the buildings. They're just containers, and what's in them is modern.

Yes, but that doesn't guarantee you can construct them with the same materials, scale or workmanship in an economical fashion in Edmonton.

We don't have 250 years worth of physical assets in Edmonton, you are hard pressed to find many that are 100.

[howie]

Yep, in many cases we knock 'em down when they're past their sell-by date of about 40 years.

[Chmilz]

Using the logic of some people, I don't understand why ancient cities don't have their downtowns lined with caves, clay huts, or hovels made of straw and cow poop. I mean, those were razed for modern buildings in their time.

[Caesar555]

A city does not have to be old to be nice.

[norwoodguy]

Originally Posted by Chmilz

Using the logic of some people, I don't understand why ancient cities don't have their downtowns lined with caves, clay huts, or hovels made of straw and cow poop. I mean, those were razed for modern buildings in their time.

Those structures you refer would not have lasted and it is difficult to build a downtown around caves. Portions of London and Paris were destroyed by fire but I believe portions large portions of their cities survive from those post fire construction phases.

[howie]

Originally Posted by Chmilz

Using the logic of some people, I don't understand why ancient cities don't have their downtowns lined with caves, clay huts, or hovels made of straw and cow poop. I mean, those were razed for modern buildings in their time.

To paraphrase that i-phone ad. on TV: If you don't have an appreciation, well, you don't have an appreciation.

[alex69]

Let's not make too big a deal of hoary age. I mean, 1000-year-old buildings are without a doubt a major part of the world cultural patrimony, no one would argue anything else, but still so much of Europe got firebombed and rebuilt in the twentieth century that any particular old-world view may or may not be modern in fact.

Particularly if that's Rotterdam in the picture (not saying it is). Here's what it looked like in 1940, 1946, and 1960: (all images borrowed for fair use, some from Flicker):

1940:

1946:

1960:

Rotterdam actually makes for an interesting study for us because we have without firebombing allowed so much of our city core to be laid flat, with a modernistic-highrise rebuilding over the recent decades.

[Brentk]

Agreed, the city should have these going down White Ave, Jasper, 124 every night. Would help clean up.