When cities such as Edmonton, Canada, are below freezing for the majority of the year, it's hard to want to embrace the cold and snow. However, landscape architecture student Matthew Gibbs and city council members are considering a way to encourage residents to enjoy the cold rather than try to hide from it. According to BBC, the city is pondering the idea of a "Freezeway" and may launch a pilot project as early as next winter.
The idea was first brought up during a city council meeting during the 1990s, when a council member made an off-hand comment that suggested opening the fire hydrants and letting the streets flood and freeeze over. The comment inspired Gibbs to design the Freezeway, which won first place at the 2013 COLDSCAPES international design competition.
Gibbs said that if two existing rail corridors were connected, then an 11-km route could be established to allow people to skate to work, school, or events in the city. The Freezeway would also encourage more active lifestyles during the winter months, said Gibbs.
Design plans for the Freezeway include:
- Setting up skate rentals in nearby metro stops
- Using buildings as windbreaks
- Using "curbside skating lanes" that could be rolled up in the spring
- Providing built-in snow storage to serve as traffic dividers and contain the ice
- Building developments and plazas in sunny areas
Many council members have said the Freezeway is a good idea, and could be financed with corporate sponsorship or crowdsourcing. The price tag would be hefty, however, at as much as $400 per meter.
Related Stories
Performing Arts Centers | Aug 31, 2016
Sydney Opera House scheduled for $200 million upgrade
Acoustical improvements will be made alongside upgrades in accessibility, efficiency, and flexibility.
| Aug 30, 2016
CONVENTION CENTER GIANTS: A ranking of the nation's top convention center sector design and construction firms
Gensler, LMN Architects, AECOM, Turner Construction Co., and WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest convention center sector AEC firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
Cultural Facilities | Aug 27, 2016
Yellowstone Park Foundation receives $1 million donation from Toyota
The money will support new eco-friendly and efficient buildings on the park’s Youth Campus.
University Buildings | Aug 16, 2016
New images of Rice University’s Moody Center for the Arts revealed by Michael Maltzan Architecture
The arts center will foster creativity for making and presenting works across all disciplines
Cultural Facilities | Aug 1, 2016
A retractable canopy at Hudson Yards will transform into a large performing and gallery space
The Shed could become the permanent home for New York’s Fashion Week event.
Cultural Facilities | Jun 30, 2016
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects selected to design Obama Presidential Center in Chicago
With experience designing cultural and academic facilities, Williams and Tsien got the nod over other search finalists like Renzo Piano, SHoP, and Adjaye Associates.
Urban Planning | Jun 9, 2016
Triptyque Architecture designs air-cleansing hanging highway garden in São Paulo
The garden would filter as much as 20% of CO2 emissions while also providing a place for cultural events and community activities.
Education Facilities | Jun 1, 2016
Gensler reveals designs for 35-acre AltaSea Campus at the Port of Los Angeles
New and renovated facilities will help researchers, educators, and visitors better understand the ocean.
Cultural Facilities | May 23, 2016
A former burial ground in Brooklyn becomes a public space whose design honors vets
The site is one of six where TKF Foundation is studying the relationship between nature, the built environment, and healing.
Cultural Facilities | May 6, 2016
Pod-shaped cable cars would be a different kind of Chicago SkyLine
Marks Barfield Architects and Davis Brody Bond designed a "gondola" network that will connect the city's Riverfront to its Navy Pier.
