With its progressive mayor and recent examples of exemplary architecture and urbanism, you'd think alternatives to sprawl would be an easy sell in Calgary. Unfortunately, you'd be wrong, says Christopher Hume.
A dramatic footbridge by Spanish architect/engineer Santiago Calatrava and a mixed-use neighborhood (Garrison Woods) built on a former military base in Calgary's east end, are among the small steps that demonstrate an alternative to the anonymous sprawl that occupies a reported 95 percent of the area's population growth. But achieving these successes wasn't easy, notes Hume.
"A proud City of Calgary featured Garrison Woods on the cover of a recent planning document. The irony, [mayor Naheed Nenshi] pointed out, is that the neighbourhood everyone loves broke 'every single rule' in the planning book. Getting it done took more than a decade as the city fought its own requirements every step of the way."
"At the same time, developers continue the discredited and ruinous 'multiplication by subdivision' approach that has turned the outer reaches of Calgary into endless tracts of cookie-cutter housing."
“Why do we persist in building stuff people don’t want and that doesn’t work?” Nenshi asked planners at a recent conference.
"It’s a good question;" says Hume, "one most Canadian cities, Toronto included, would be hard-pressed to answer. Everywhere one looks, planning rules are stuck back in the days of freeways and shopping centres."
FULL STORY: Like Toronto, City of Calgary struggles to become more urban: Hume
Young Candidates Ride Anti-Sprawl Rhetoric to Mayoral Victories in Alberta
On Monday, Calgary elected anti-sprawl crusader Naheed Nenshi to a second term as Mayor. And in Edmonton, 34-year-old Don Iveson, "an up-and-coming hot shot of the same vein of progressive politics", was elected to replace the city's retiring mayor.
Differing Densities in Three Canadian Cities
This report from The Globe and Mail looks at a recent study of three of Canada's big cities -- Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto -- and compares their densities and development patterns.
Growth Plan Debate Heats Up in Toronto
The question of how and where to grow is causing controversy in Toronto. A recent op-ed picks a side.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”
The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).
The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns
In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.
The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace
In some states, as few as 9% of rural hospitals still deliver babies. As a result, rising pre-term births, no adequate pre-term care and "harrowing" close calls are a growing reality.
The Small South Asian Republic Going all in on EVs
Thanks to one simple policy change less than five years ago, 65% of new cars in this Himalayan country are now electric.
DC Backpedals on Bike Lane Protection, Swaps Barriers for Paint
Citing aesthetic concerns, the city is removing the concrete barriers and flexposts that once separated Arizona Avenue cyclists from motor vehicles.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)