In his state of the city address, Mayor Stephen Mandel said Alberta's capital needs to do a better job of promoting itself – and the solution could lie in a new downtown arena.

Mandel took to the podium at the Shaw Conference Centre Tuesday afternoon, and started by saying the city has changed quite a bit in the seven years since he was elected mayor.

"We were a city with no big plans," Mandel said, pointing to LRT expansion, neighbourhood revitalization and other major projects – to make his point.

"We have shaken off the ‘Good enough' pattern, by taking care to invest in our self, and our future."

However, Mandel said while things are going well within the city limits, few outside the city, province and country are aware of the positive changes.

Some Edmontonians CTV News spoke to on the street agreed, crediting the homicide rate, and the weather as the two most common complaints.

"We're kind of on the map, but you'd be amazed how little [we're] on the map," Former New York City resident Don Avirom said.

"I think it's really cold here, that's why a lot of people hate on it," Ryan Ast, a former Regina resident said.

The city's poet laureate said Edmontonians are generally humble about the city, but there is plenty to boast about.

"We don't show off, not because we don't like Edmonton, but because we don't want to be ‘Look at me, look at me,' braggy people," Poet Laureate Anna Maria Sewell said.

"The downside is, if nobody knows how wonderful it is, how can they celebrate with you?"

As for Mandel's solutions to the problem, he said he's working on it – but feels a new downtown arena could play a major part in solving it.

"We need to tell that story in a way that it sells in markets around the world, and that people see this as a place of great education, opportunity and quality of life," Mandel said.

"We have an amazing opportunity to capture the vision and spirit of our city here, and I hope we don't lose it."

Meanwhile, the Katz Group plans to bring forward design renderings of a downtown arena to City Council on May 16.

With files from Sean Amato