IMAGINING THE ANTI-CITY: RE-CLAIMING URBANIZED PARKLAND IN EDMONTON, ALBERTA'S RIVER VALLEY

Abstract

This thesis, located in Edmonton, Alberta, aims to magnify the differences between urban development and nature. It proposes a vision of future Edmonton in which the River Valley Park system is restored as an intensive greenway through the heart of the city, acting as a necessary counterpoint to urbanization. Contrasting elements such as natural vs artificial, celestial vs the clock, recreation and relaxation vs work and stress are the basis for treating the river valley an anti-city rather than as an extension of it. This does not mean that the park system is isolated from the city, but that development in the River Valley is concerned in opposition to the city. Architectural interventions in the River Valley take advantage of landscape and environmental processes to enhance the experience of being in this natural “wilderness”.