A way to help Canadians love winter

If a city can build bike lanes, why not skate lanes? That's the dream Matt Gibbs has, for his hometown of Edmonton. He developed his plan for a "freezeway" as his master's thesis in landscape architecture at UBC. He says it would revitalize winter life in his city: "It would get people excited in anticipation about the arrival of winter, as opposed to it being just another burden." 

The idea is to connect two former railway corridors, which would make an 11-kilometre route. Gibbs says it could be a bike lane in the summer, and a skate route in the winter. It could be lined with patios and shops, and the plan includes light displays that would bring the path alive in dark. Edmontonians could use it to get to work, and to hockey games. And, he says, it would be a tourist attraction. 

While Gibbs first developed the idea a few years ago, it has yet to get official support. He says it wouldn't have to be a city undertaking-- it could be crowdsourced, or built privately. Either way, he doesn't expect it would cost much, especially since frigid Edmonton winters means you wouldn't need to build a refrigeration unit. 

Here's a look at his proposal: