Great Canadian Skywalks!

[Chadillaccc]

The Core shopping mall forms an integral part of Calgary's +15 Network.


http://www.stockaerialphotos.com/-/g...algary-alberta


Here is the current map of the network, not including major pending additions such as Place 10, Brookfield Place, City Centre, Telus Sky, and Eau Claire Tower.


http://calgaryplus15.com/


and a +15 between Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts and City Hall


http://everydaytourist.ca/blog/2013/...parks-pathways

[J.OT13]

And I was writing about this a few days ago.

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Plan emerges to remove Rideau Centre pedestrian overpass

Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: April 28, 2015, Last Updated: April 28, 2015 7:14 PM EDT



The latest twist in the dramatic reimagining of Rideau Street is a plan to remove one of two aging pedestrian overpasses and replace the other with a sleek new walkway in the sky.

The Freiman Bridge was built in the early 1980s as a way to connect the Mackenzie King Bridge and the Transitway to the ByWard Market area via the shopping mall.

The city owns the bridge, but the costs for construction, use and maintenance over the years have been split between the city, Hudson’s Bay Company and Cadillac Fairview Corp., which owns the mall, as part of a 50-year agreement.

Around the same time, HBC and the mall’s previous owner built a second, smaller bridge west of the Freiman Bridge, but the city bears no responsibility for it.

Now, according to a report slated for discussion at next week’s finance committee meeting, Cadillac Fairview has come up with a $3-million plan to refurbish the Freiman Bridge as part of its $360-million mall makeover that’s currently underway.

The new walkway would match the mall’s shiny new façade and would likely be completed later this year or early next.

The city is pleased with the plan because it would complement the objectives of the Rideau Street streetscaping initiative and free Ottawa taxpayers of future responsibility for the maintenance, repair and future demolition of the current bridge.

But there’s a catch: The city would pay Cadillac Fairview $400,000 — the estimated net value, in today’s cash, of future operating and capital costs — and waive an estimated $50,000 in encroachment fees for use of the Rideau Street right-of-way during the bridge replacement.

The city would also give the company a break on air rights — the leasing of the air above city property — to the tune of $335,000.

As for the second pedestrian overpass — the one closer to the intersection of Rideau and Sussex — it would be removed completely.

“It’s going to look a lot better than it does today,” said Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury.

The enclosed, unpainted metal structure that’s currently there will be replaced with a glassy walkway, in keeping with the mall’s updated look.

The city anticipates north-south pedestrian traffic flow between the Mackenzie King Bridge and the ByWard Market will shift significantly once the Confederation line station on Rideau Street opens, while, at the same time, the mall’s centre of gravity is also shifting eastward as part its expansion.

All of these factors combined made the second bridge obsolete, Fleury said.

The report does not include a rationale for how the city reached the $400,000 figure, but Fleury said Tuesday that amount is less than the cost of demolishing one of the bridges and removes any future financial responsibility.

Fleury said he’s always been in favour of removing both bridges, but the mall and HBC pushed to keep one of the connections.

mpearson@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/mpearson78

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...trian-overpass

[J.OT13]

Cadillac Fairview has removed one of two skywalks connecting the Rideau Centre to Hudson's Bay. The second, wider skywalk is being overhauled.

This is the one removed:


https://www.flickr.com/photos/cdhc/4391837410


https://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-brandon/437756754

And the one under renovation:



http://centretown.blogspot.ca/2014/0...lic-realm.html

View of the one getting an overhaul from the one now gone. You can also see the old "Bunker-Brutalist" architecture of the Rideau Centre, on the right.


https://www.flickr.com/groups/skybridge/pool/page4

Work and after shots:

Originally Posted by RobOttawa

bridge:



No bridge:

Originally Posted by kingedward

More photos sans west bridge from earlier this evening.

[ssiguy]

Under/over bridges connecting buildings in a city's Core can sap the life out of a city. People will conversely say if it's pouring out or -20 then they wouldn't go outside anyway and there is certainly some truth to that.

That said, if I had to make a choice I would take Calgary's Plus 15-30 system over the massive rat holes that Montreal and Toronto have produced. At least with overhead walkways, you can see the sun and not feel like you are a mole in search of an Orange Julius. What makes the Montreal and Toronto systems worse {although Montreal's at least attempts not to look completely sterile} is how they have gone from just building and/or subway station connectors to complete underground cities with all the variety of a suburban mall.

A&W, Orange Julius, KFC, and a generic Chinese Buffet.............there, I just listed 50^ of all the restaurants underneath Toronto with all the ambience of eating in a suburban warehouse. Actually it's probably worse than the warehouse because at least in the warehouse there are a couple windows.

Calgary's system doesn't make you feel like a mole both when walking thru it and when shopping. It's bright, more airy, and Calgary has done a very good job of trying to add some greenery into the mix which being above ground allows. The Devonian garden of course are the best example.

Neither are truly wonderful inventions but at least when you are walking above ground you don't feel like should have to be walking on all fours.

[Mrs Sauga]

I don't see much of a difference. Indoor is indoor. Both can suck the life out of the street. Though Toronto and Montreal have tons of pedestrian activity so it probably doesn't have much of an effect at all really.

Sun is nice but I only use the underground in the winter and rain, when there isn't really much sun to see anyway.

And I personally think having too many overpasses looks tacky. Better to hide them underground if you have to have them.

[ssiguy]

I can appreciate what you are saying about "hiding them underground". The problem is that if they are underground then that's where you have to be. I find the idea of having to go back to your cubicle in the sky to see outside as perfectly depressing.

In Toronto, far less so Montreal, the city has done a dreadful job or urban planning in the financial core. The PATH has not only taken people underground but it has completely sapped the energy on the street as well. Even when it's nice out there is no where to go within a 3 block radius of the Bay area. There are incredibly few restaurants [and almost no cafe's } even remotely close to the Financial Core as PATH has sucked the people off the street and the City has ignored the areas potential street vitality.

Again Calgary is quite different. yes when it's poring or minus 20 no one will go outside but when it's nice, Calgary has the Stephen Ave Mall, the most successful in Canada. It is loaded with restaurants, shops, and cafes and yet right along the financial corridor.

[J.OT13]

In the case of Rideau Street, the removal of one skywalk made such a huge difference in the openness of the area. Something as simple as having HBC's façade visible from the west makes for a total transformations. Therefore, I advocate tunnels as opposed to walkways. Though I do see your point that walkways offer a better experience for those using it, underground is better to improve (or at least not worsen) the experience at street level.

That said, I wouldn't want anything as elaborate as TO or MTL. A few N/S, E/W tunnels to facilitate getting commuters from subways to their offices is useful, but you don't want too much retail and food concessions underground to kill the surface.

MTL I believe is a case of too big to fail. The place seems alive at anytime of the day or year. It helps that it has a good mix or hotels, commercial and residential all over. TO's financial district, from what I've heard seen in pics, needs improvement.

[J.OT13]

As I was looking for info on what they will do to the exterior of HBC in Ottawa and found a rendering of the proposed Skywalk between HBC's Toronto Queen Street flagship and the Eaton Centre. I wish they would have done something similar to this for the Rideau-Freiman Mall skywalk.



I realize Ottawa's is significantly wider, but they could have done a little bit more.

I'm still happy with the results; one gone and one totally re-done. It's not a sticking point for me. Just saying.

[GreaterMontréal]

with the métro running underground, you're already there(underground), so what's the point of building an outside network.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

The Core shopping mall forms an integral part of Calgary's +15 Network.


http://www.stockaerialphotos.com/-/g...algary-alberta


Here is the current map of the network, not including major pending additions such as Place 10, Brookfield Place, City Centre, Telus Sky, and Eau Claire Tower.


http://calgaryplus15.com/


and a +15 between Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts and City Hall


http://everydaytourist.ca/blog/2013/...parks-pathways

is the entire thing open to everyone or are some restricted to people who work in the buildings? like couls i just go down and walk the whole thing one day? I remember doing that as a kid way back in the day while parents attended a conference dowtown a bunch of us kids just wandered around

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

The Core shopping mall forms an integral part of Calgary's +15 Network.


http://www.stockaerialphotos.com/-/g...algary-alberta

Looks like a mini Eaton Centre which is a a major P.A.T.H connection.

[SkahHigh]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

I can appreciate what you are saying about "hiding them underground". The problem is that if they are underground then that's where you have to be. I find the idea of having to go back to your cubicle in the sky to see outside as perfectly depressing.

In Toronto, far less so Montreal, the city has done a dreadful job or urban planning in the financial core. The PATH has not only taken people underground but it has completely sapped the energy on the street as well. Even when it's nice out there is no where to go within a 3 block radius of the Bay area. There are incredibly few restaurants [and almost no cafe's } even remotely close to the Financial Core as PATH has sucked the people off the street and the City has ignored the areas potential street vitality.

Again Calgary is quite different. yes when it's poring or minus 20 no one will go outside but when it's nice, Calgary has the Stephen Ave Mall, the most successful in Canada. It is loaded with restaurants, shops, and cafes and yet right along the financial corridor.

You're right on some points but don't forget that skyways are generally not appealing to the eye. So while having a bunch of skyways in a Downtown is a lot cheaper (plus there's a way to make them look better), it's a lot less appealing visually.

[The Fisher Account]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

is the entire thing open to everyone or are some restricted to people who work in the buildings? like couls i just go down and walk the whole thing one day? I remember doing that as a kid way back in the day while parents attended a conference dowtown a bunch of us kids just wandered around

Yeah, you can just walk into the mall or basically the lobby of any building and walk up an into the +15

[flipv]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

I can appreciate what you are saying about "hiding them underground". The problem is that if they are underground then that's where you have to be. I find the idea of having to go back to your cubicle in the sky to see outside as perfectly depressing.

In Toronto, far less so Montreal, the city has done a dreadful job or urban planning in the financial core. The PATH has not only taken people underground but it has completely sapped the energy on the street as well. Even when it's nice out there is no where to go within a 3 block radius of the Bay area. There are incredibly few restaurants [and almost no cafe's } even remotely close to the Financial Core as PATH has sucked the people off the street and the City has ignored the areas potential street vitality.

Again Calgary is quite different. yes when it's poring or minus 20 no one will go outside but when it's nice, Calgary has the Stephen Ave Mall, the most successful in Canada. It is loaded with restaurants, shops, and cafes and yet right along the financial corridor.

I'm really not sure what you're talking about.

Thank goodness for the PATH because our narrow financial district sidewalks cannot handle the seas of people pouring around there during the day.

The streets are crowded anyway even with the PATH, and its use really spikes during cold months or rain.

There have been so many restaurants and bars opening in the Financial District over the last few years that I'm convinced your view is based on an experience 20 years ago. If you want soulless streets in Canada, see Maisonneuve in Montreal or University in Toronto.

[VIce]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

Looks like a mini Eaton Centre which is a a major P.A.T.H connection.

Fun fact: the mall was formerly the Calgary Eaton Centre. Formerly Sears, and now Holt Renfrew occupy the former Eatons site.

[Beedok]

I just want to say, I liked the Core Mall, it was massive and felt like the heart of Calgary. As for the variety of shops in these sorts of areas, I've said it a few times and I'll say it again, there's loads of quirky stores in Toronto's bits. I've seen plenty of places I wasn't entirely sure weren't selling stolen goods half under the table. Sure, there's a few areas, especially in the deepest heart, that have nothing but fast food places, but if you look at cities like Ottawa or Vancouver that don't have these networks you realise there's a certain number of those that pop-up in a downtown of X size and what these secondary networks allow is for there to be enough shops to have those and more rather than just those (seriously, I've never seen a suburban mall with a more generic spread than Ottawa's CBD excluding 3 tourist traps on Spark's street and one pub on said street).

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by VIce

Fun fact: the mall was formerly the Calgary Eaton Centre. Formerly Sears, and now Holt Renfrew occupy the former Eatons site.

I'm glad we were able to keep the Eaton Name, I think the Eaton Centre in Montreal did as well.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by flipv

I'm really not sure what you're talking about.

Thank goodness for the PATH because our narrow financial district sidewalks cannot handle the seas of people pouring around there during the day.

The streets are crowded anyway even with the PATH, and its use really spikes during cold months or rain.

There have been so many restaurants and bars opening in the Financial District over the last few years that I'm convinced your view is based on an experience 20 years ago. If you want soulless streets in Canada, see Maisonneuve in Montreal or University in Toronto.

Any other forumer would leave me wondering. It's exactly what i expect from ssiguy.

[Klazu]

For reference few photos from Atlanta. We all know how Atlanta is one of the most car-oriented cities in North America. So it is no wonder that there are skywalks and bridges between parkades and offices EVERYWHERE in Downtown. There is no need to walk on a sidewalk to get from your car to the office and back...

It just all makes for a very dead streetscape.















This must be the ugliest building I know. Based on what I read, it is some kind of wholesale center for businesses. Would a window be too much to ask?

[Beedok]

If that's what it takes to get people walking. I mean Atlanta's a lot hotter and more humid than Toronto, so walking around outside in the summer probably causes you to lose 10kg. That windowless building could definitely use work though.