Downtown: Everything’s waiting for you The current and future evolution of downtown Edmonton By Melanie Franner
Enbridge Centre, a $400 million 25-storey office tower, helped fuel growth in Edmonton’s downtown after opening in 2016. Photo courtesy of Pangman Development Corporation.
No one can argue against the fact that the Edmonton skyline is changing, but so too is the vibe and feel of the city. Developers are working hand-in-hand with city planners to revitalize the downtown core – and momentum is building. A new sense of purpose and a new energy is fuelling a new wave of development that will continue to change this cityscape for many years to come. The lights are much brighter there “We’ve seen a lot more attention and excitement building in the downtown core over the last few years,” says Ian O’Donnell, executive director, Downtown Business Association. “With that, we’ve seen the rise of younger entrepreneurs.” O’Donnell attributes this growing demographic to a combination of Edmonton graduates opting to stay in the city to launch their own careers (e.g. new restaurants and pubs) and to a continuing influx of tech companies. “The average age of employees in the tech sector is lower than you’d find in the more typical corporate world,” he says. “This tends to skew to a younger demographic.” The construction industry has responded to this changing demographic, focusing on creating new buildings to meet the evolving needs of this generational shift. “The bar has been raised,” notes O’Donnell. “The design industry has really raised the bar in terms of what they have
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Edmonton Construction Association
