Research
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The vision for this development is consistent with both the City of Edmonton’s long-term strategic plan for the city as well as the recommendations contained in the March 2008 Summary Report of the Leadership Committee for a New Sports/Entertainment Facility for Edmonton. Additionally, there are a number of academic and community-based research reports that highlight the social, cultural and economic benefits of large-scale entertainment and sports development projects.
The Way Ahead, City of Edmonton Strategic Plan, 2009 – 2018
“This Strategic Plan turns the vision into reality. It sets our goals to strengthen environmental preservation and sustainability; to transform the city’s urban form, making it more compact while maintaining and revitalizing neighbourhoods. It projects the changes we need to make to promote a more integrated transportation system. And it forecasts how we need to build our financial capacity and diversify our economy.”
City Shaping: The Summary Report of the Leadership Committee for a New Sports/Entertainment Facility for Edmonton, March 2008
“Rexall Place, one of Edmonton’s best-known community assets and venue to a range of cultural and sporting events, requires modernization or replacement. This convergence of need and opportunity has the potential to translate into a unique development project.”
Sports Facilities, a New Arena in Edmonton, and the Opportunities for Development and a City’s Image, Mark S. Rosentraub, PhD
“By the 1990s several communities understood that if a sports facility was to be an asset for a community’s economic and community development and image, these large facilities had to be part of an integrated strategic plan … If used as an anchor for an overall strategy these facilities could change the location of economic activity, support development, and change the image of an entire city or an under developed part of a metropolitan area.”
Beautiful City: Leisure Amenities and Urban Growth, Wharton School University of Pennsylvania, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
“'Beautiful cities' disproportionally attracted highly-educated individuals, and experienced faster housing price appreciation, especially in supply-inelastic markets. Investment by local government in new public recreational areas within an MSA was positively associated with higher subsequent city attractiveness. In contrast to the generally declining trends in the American central city, neighborhoods that were close to 'central recreational districts' have experienced economic growth …” |