Our look at the poems this week brought a me to think about mapping my placement in Edmonton. Where am I situated and why?
I began to look at the creation of Cardo and Decumanus which ultimately are the 2 main arteries in a city.
Mapping these ideas on to my neighbourhood in Edmonton brought me to look further at public transit.
There are many small, intricate routes which are offered sparingly and often only in what the City of Edmonton deems as "peak hours."
Being situated in the Bonnie Doon area, however, has placed me at a significant intersection between what I would argue are Edmonton's Cardo and Decumanus routes. The number 8 and the number 4.
As the Cardo, the number 8 is a north-south route which extends from Abbotsfield to Millwoods. This route is significant as it moves people across the river onto the riders desired side.
As the Decumanus, the number 4 is a east-west route which extends from Capilano Mall to West Edmonton Mall. This route is significant as it takes the rider from one edge of the city to the other.
I find it interesting to note that the Cardo was traditionally known for its shops and vendors while the Decumanus connected the military camps. In Edmonton these traditional Roman traits are reversed. The east-west number 4 route maneuvers directly down the vendor filled Whyte avenue. While the north-south number 8 route somewhat directs itself to Edmonton's northern army base.
Speaking in terms of the ETS, what are your cardo and decumanus?
ETS #4
ETS #8
***Oh and classmates. If you are on campus Saturday March 12 (or want to be) come stop by Dewey's between 7pm-11pm. I am putting on Art Show called Robots Robots Robots. Come say hi.
Spring soon?
3 comments:
Pour moi, my cardo and decamanus are definitely Route 1 and the LRT. Conveniently they cross at Churchill Square, which is arguably Edmonton's geographical center, or at least very near. I've mentioned in a previous post (i think) that these are the only two public transit routes that I take every single week day, and most weekend days. In fact, I just got home from a journey involving both.
Your photo of the man on the bus really reminds me of the poem by Lisa Martin-Demoor on page 94 of the River City book. It paints the picture of a man on the #4!
I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but I love your idea of having a personal cardo and decumanus. It speaks to the different narratives that make up Edmonton.
I don't travel by bus enough to be able to link the cardo and the decumanus to bus numbers, but your question makes me wonder if there are any cities which have laid down a more universal cardo and decumanus (of sorts) by having light rail transit that runs both north-south and east-west? There must be ...
Post a Comment