REPURPOSING
What, specifically, might a revitalized Rossdale power plant look like? We have lots of ideas, and keep coming up with more. We envision some combination of the following kinds of repurposing:
- Aboriginal cultural centre and history museum with an aboriginal crafts market (perhaps as part of the Spirit of Edmonton indigenous cultures and natural history trail)
- Non-profit river learning centre, connecting people with the North Saskatchewan River by educating them on the river’s natural ecosystem and cultural and historical significance
- Cooperative craft brewery, drawing water directly from the river to underscore the importance of clean water
- Local fine-food shops, cafes and restaurants plus a weekly farmers market (similar to the Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco). This repurposing could include an information centre on Edmonton farms and food security; the river valley trails could also be extended out to the northeast farmland area, linking farm and city
- Arts and music performance area and rehearsal spaces
- Educational energy playground, explaining the development of twentieth-century power (achieving LEED designation, including solar panels on the roof, could also speak to the future of energy)
- University of Alberta biological sciences labs and interactive public museum detailing the river’s ecology
- Local-food restaurant on the top floor of the boiler house or turbine house, taking advantage of the 365-degree view
- Satellite of the Royal Alberta Museum, highlighting the history of the site and of the city
- Cafe in one of the pump houses, serving visitors to the site and people walking, cycling, and rollerblading along the river valley trails
- Native-species natural area in the cleared area to the west of the buildings, representing healing of the land and of the past; this would be a peaceful space for learning, relaxing and reflecting
- Residential space
Our Facebook page serves as the site for the public to contribute their own ideas on this project. These ideas would all be considered in the design competition guidelines and terms of reference co-created by the City of Edmonton and Rossdale ReGeneration Group.
Rossdale ReGeneration 
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