Keep moving: a snapshot of life in the Ice District

• Author(s) / Creator(s)

  • Kafara, Rylan

• My research examines who now belongs in Edmonton’s gentrifying downtown. In September 2016, the publicly financed $613 million new arena and entertainment district opened for business. Located in the urban core, the “Ice District” was already home to the majority of Edmonton’s homeless population. This photo shows the divide between existing residents of the area and its new occupiers. As fans walk to the hockey game on one side of the street, members of the homeless community move through the challenges of urban poverty exacerbated by displacement. The 24/7 Crisis Diversion Van is parked as the team responds to another call. Police monitor the community members huddling in front of Boyle Street Community Services. Up the street is MacDonald Lofts, housing Edmonton’s most marginalized citizens. Recently bought by the Katz Group, everyone living in MacDonald Lofts is being evicted. The Katz Group also owns the Edmonton Oilers, and is the sole benefactor of arena revenue for the next 35 years. As the murals of community members beside the rink now bear witness to the process of gentrification, they may become the only memory of a vibrant community forced out of its home. // Program of Study: PhD // Faculty/Department: Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation // Place of creation: Edmonton, Alberta // Award: Semi-finalist Prize, Images of Research Competition 2018

• Date created

  2018-01-01

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Research image

• Type of Item

  Image

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R35T3GF1X

• License

  Attribution 4.0 International