Edmonton's Edifice Complex

In 1787, Catherine the Great of Russia went on a tour of her country. One of her most trusted advisors, Grigory Potemkin, arranged the trip to show Catherine the prosperity that had been the result of her reign. They toured villages and countryside with wealthy peasants, well-constructed towns and wealth and opulence that had traditionally been confined to Moscow and St. Petersburg.

But it was all a lie.

Peasants were given new clothes before the tour, and ornate facades were constructed to cover up the ramshackle huts that dotted the countryside. Potemkin had crafted an elaborate deception to make Catherine the Great think that she was responsible for prosperity that didn't exist.

So how does this relate to Edmonton?

One of the mistakes Catherine made was mistaking form for function. Rather than focus on the things that would actually make the Russian Empire great, she focussed instead on the things that made the Empire appear great.

Another mistake was confusing illusion and reality. Potemkin expertly spun a web of lies that effectively shifted Catherine's perceptions and made her more receptive to something patently false.

I want to start by saying that I like Edmonton's façade improvement program. I think that improving the edifices of Edmonton's buildings is positive and helps create upside for investors and facilitates movement in the marketplace - which is good for everyone. The program is good optics for the city and one of the programs that has some support among the business community.

That said, the city continues to increase commercial property taxes year over year with no end in sight. Zoning regulations and the approval processes for development permits and business licenses continue to be cumbersome and oppressive. In spite of efforts from the city to improve their operations, businesses continue to locate and relocate into the more business-friendly counties outside city limits.

So while the façade improvement program is great, it won't be effective unless the city can resolve the underlying issues that are fundamentally hostile to business. Without the fundamentals behind it, we're favoring form over function and making Edmonton into a Potemkin Village.

Are you a building owner? For more information on the City of Edmonton's façade improvement program, check out the link below:


https://www.edmonton.ca/business_economy/business_resources/facade-storefront-improvement-program.as...