The Essence of Edmonton
Last week, I wrote something that generated a lot of comments and conversation: Edmontonians — citizens, politicians, artists, business owners, whomever — aren’t great at sharing their passion and love for the city. We’re almost apologetic about this place, even defensive.
It’s time to stop with all that. This city has a lot going on for it — from the typically-mentioned festivals, or river valley or growing transit system, to the burgeoning entrepreneurial community among retailers and startups on 104 street and throughout the rest of the city.
I want you to help to brainstorm the pieces of Edmonton that form its essence. And you can do this however you want — with music, with words, with video, with a rant, with an image… It’s up to you. But I think we need to start collecting all these things so that we’re better able to share the city’s elevator pitch with people visiting here, thinking of doing business here, or thinking of moving here. Share them on Twitter using the hashtag #whyyeg, or send them to Scott and I, and we’ll post them for you.
Let’s work together to get down to the essence of Edmonton.
I’m so glad you did this, Adam. I’ve been thinking along these same lines – starting a conversation about what Edmonton is, who Edmontonians are, the city’s identity, etc. – but I’m not connected enough to get anything going. This is going to be a great first step to rebranding our city for ourselves and the world.
Yay! I think it’s funny that we have EdmontonStories.com but it’s not quite meeting the needs. How will our brainstorming be different?
I guess I am saying – our brainstorming should include how we take this offline too and out into our communities.
I agree with you Marissa. I think we can do SOME of the brainstorming online, but that’s not going to involve everyone who should be involved. So yes, we need to put some thought behind how we take this out to the larger community.
Greetings Adam,
We just wanted to reach out and commend you on your Essence of Edmonton initiative. We picked up on your post “Edmontontonians are Horrible Story Tellers” back on the 11th and have been monitoring the comments. Most of the sentiments referred to by you and several individuals are sentiments our team, and many officials at City Hall share! As a result we have some exciting advancements in store!
In the mean time, Edmonton Stories will continue to source and compile compelling stories about our great city. We look forward to following #whyyeg and listening to the community to see what they come up with!
Edmontonstories Team
http://www.edmontonstories.ca
Thanks for commenting, Edmonton Stories Team. When I was thinking about doing this, I was worried it would appear I was stepping on your toes, and I didn’t want you to think that. I think Edmonton Stories is a good tool — but it’s only one, and what we need is a toolbox. My hope is that #whyyeg will add more to the toolbox.
Thanks again for stopping by!
Great idea! I shall endeavour to put something together.
Great stuff Adam. I’ve always equated it to a lack of self-confidence. Deep down, I think we all know what we have here – great elements and a desire for things to be even better. We do struggle with acknowledging that which leads to the apologetic nature or defensiveness. If we focus internally first and make Edmonton the best it can be for us (yes, hokey sounding I know), people from the outside will take notice.