Surging oil wealth, a huge provincial surplus, and a booming real estate market make Calgary the new "centre of the universe" in Canada.
"The city boasts the highest GDP per capita in the country. In its concentration of corporate head offices, Calgary is second only to Toronto. Office space runs at the national high, fetching more than $40 a square foot in the most desirable buildings -- when it can be found. Last year, rents soared 49 per cent. Yellow cranes hover over the downtown cityscape...[s]ome 19.5 million square feet of real estate is currently under construction or being marketed, 6.7 million square feet of it downtown.
The residential housing market is also aflame. Resale house prices rose more than 18 per cent in February over the previous year, three times the national average. Ten years ago, the sale of a million-dollar house was rare. Now it's commonplace.
With no sales tax and a flat provincial tax, Alberta, with zero debt and a budget surplus of more than $10 billion, has become a wealth magnet."
FULL STORY: Swingin' Calgary
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
San Diego Votes to Rein in “Towering” ADUs
City council voted to limit the number of units in accessory buildings to six — after confronting backyard developments of up to 100 units behind a single family home.
Texas Legislature’s Surprising Pro-Housing Swing
Smaller homes on smaller lots, office to apartment conversions, and 40% less say for NIMBYs, vote state lawmakers.
Even Edmonton Wants Single Staircase Buildings
Canada's second most affordable major city joins those angling to nix the requirement for two staircases in multi-family buildings.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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