The Edmonton Project has announced its top 10 finalists and they include ideas like a food truck ferris wheel and river valley saunas.
The Edmonton Project asked average people to come up with an idea that was uniquely Edmontonian, and hundreds submitted their ideas.
“We were very surprised and pleased with the amount of applicants we have.”
Five prominent Edmontonians were asked to judge the submissions, and they narrowed it down to a top 10 list that includes a wide array of ideas, from a gondola across the North Saskatchewan River to a globe featuring a year-round indoor park.
Another finalist? The food truck ferris wheel. The idea was put forward by Matt Schuurman and Megan Dart based on something they saw at the World Expo in Milan, Italy.
“Every time you go past the bottom, the passengers would go by a kitchen window. It was a restaurant and you would get the next course in your meal,” Schuurman said.
To make it unique to Edmonton, the pair thought food trucks could replace the restaurant, so the cuisine would constantly be changing.
“The truck would pull in to the base of the ferris wheel, and then you get on, enjoy the ride and have a full meal while having a great view, something like this,” Schuurman said.
He would like to make the ferris wheel a year-round attraction.
So far, Schuurman says his friends have been very supportive of the idea.
“I had a friend yesterday say, ‘Oh man, so many people are going to get engaged on that thing!’ and another friend say, ‘I would eat there every day.’ So who knows? If it happens it could be pretty popular.”
Another idea in the top 10 was river valley saunas. The idea was submitted by Emma Sanborn and Alex Hindle. Sanborn says the idea came to her after living in Sweden.
“In lots of the Scandinavian countries, saunas are everywhere: in people’s houses, apartment buildings, schools, gyms – and people really use them,” she said.
“At the end of a cold day, it’s so nice to get a break from the cold, gather with family and friends and enjoy the heat of a sauna.”
She wants to see saunas placed outside for Edmontonians to warm up and relax in.
“Saunas would be a great way for us to not just move through the river valley in winter, but stay and enjoy and bask in the beauty of it.”
The pair are seeking scenic, yet convenient locations for the wooden saunas.
“One place we submitted was in Louise McKinney Park, so you could do the after work sauna thing if you’re a downtown worker,” Sanborn said. “There’s also great pool locations that have change rooms and parking lots already there. Mill Creek Pool, for example, or Queen Elizabeth Pool would be great.”
All 10 of the remaining ideas will now be put to the test and have details ironed out and drawings made before the final selection.
“When they show up in March, they will pitch their ideas – Dragon’s Den-style – to the judges, and we will have a winner by the end of that night,” Hodson said.
Then, the chosen project will be funded either by corporate donations, crowdfunding or some combination of the two.
Based on the response so far, Hodson says the founders are looking at whether more than one idea may be feasible or whether to run the contest again in the future.
“Maybe this is something we do again, maybe this isn’t just a one-time idea. Maybe the Edmonton Project becomes something we do annually or every couple years,” she said.
As for which project comes out on top?
“I just hope that it’s something that is around forever and that people think is really exciting,” Hodson said.
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