Limits

I took this photograph about a month ago, as our plane took off from the Edmonton International Airport. I thought I'd post this and talk about what Edmonton looks like from above, in the view that we usually get in maps, but then I realized that this isn't the Edmonton that we tend to look at maps of - in fact, I'm not even sure if this is Edmonton at all. 

Where do we draw the boundaries of our city? Does the land that we see in leaving a place, being linked to that place by our own association, become a part of it? 

Where are / what are our city limits?

Alberta Avenue

For my CSL (Community Service Learning) assignment as part of this course, I’m doing some work with the Nina Haggerty Centre, located at 9225 118 Ave. On Monday morning, I ventured over there for the first time, google map and notebook in hand.

On the bus from the Coliseum LRT station, I passed several pawn shops, a couple thrift stores, and in every shop window, a colourful sign reading:

We Believe in 118

Working together towards a safer community

I don’t know much about this part of town, mostly because it’s been designated as sketchy, risky, dangerous. 118^th Ave. is where the prostitutes work, that’s all I know. That’s all I’ve been told. Nobody ever mentioned that I might also find “Mama Afro Beauty” across from the “Kasoa Tropical Food Market,” and nearby, an intriguing little place called “The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse,” which has bright canvases displayed in its front window. It’s closed, but I read the signs on the door, and find that they have open mic on Saturday nights and Thursday afternoons, as well as live music on Friday nights. I’ll be coming back here, I can already tell.

The Nina Haggerty Centre itself, far from being the hole in the wall that I had expected, given the area, has a brand new storefront with big, welcoming windows. Already, this is a place where I’m excited to be.

View Larger Map

The Nina Haggerty Centre, under construction in this image, is now a beautifully finished building. Click the arrows to take a “walk” around the area.

Another thing I learned about the 118^th Ave. area: it has a name. Alberta Avenue. That sounds like a part of the city we ought to be proud of. And I think that it really is going that way – I’ve never been in a neighbourhood where its residents are so visibly trying to make their part of town a better place – not just safer, but more vibrant. The arts community is growing there, and I wonder if, ten or twenty years down the road, Alberta Avenue might be comparable to Whyte. 

Through

In my last post, I talked about trying to find the colour in a greyscale city. Today, when I was out and about, I came upon this picture, framed in the window of the University LRT station. I guess sometimes, the colour doesn't take much to find - sometimes, it's already bright, right there.