Yesterday I attended a presentation given by Ron Gilbertson, the new President of Edmonton Economic Development Corp. (EEDC) who was reaching out to Edmonton’s Next Gen group for input into a vision for economic development he’s spearheading.

He presented a down-to-earth yet compelling account of opportunities for repositioning Edmonton as a great city. He reminded the audience that we rate highly in the global context in a number of areas, including health care and education. He also pointed out, however, that we suffer in terms of safety and transportation (both internal and connective). He also identified regional disarray as a key impediment to cohesive development. [Edit: He also noted that a more diverse economy, less dependent on oil & gas, was critical; achieving this would require strategic investments in research and innovation, and an effective response to the labour shortage.]

Nonetheless, he painted a picture of an Edmonton with great potential by reminding us that this is generally a very good place to live. I’m not given to boosterism, but I was left with a sense of dizzying possibility.

But quality of life, particularly in terms of the urban assets of a leading city, ranks highly in the decision for people to relocate to a particular place (or stay, for that matter).

Here’s where our challenge is to build a denser, more vibrant, more economically and socially sustainable urban core to provide that unique, highly localized and specific quality of life that generic big-box development just can’t offer.