Crazy dream ideas for Calgary

[darwink]

Sorry, I meant the restore facades project . That said, maybe the creosote cleanup/canal village project could be a corporate sponsorship thing, for at least part of the cleanup. Developers who get parcels of land right on the water could pay for part also. Just a couple of ideas to throw out there.

Well, they would do that by buying the land from the city! Could mandate a home owners association like thing as an extra tax like levy to maintain the canal and retaining walls long term.

 

[Josh Gibbs]

Would love to see the LRT lines and stations underground in downtown Calgary. That is one of my biggest dreams for Calgary. Would also like to see the whole area around Sunalta and Westbrook stations entirely redeveloped and if the urban sprawl would slow down.

 

[JesseLikesCities]

I would think it would be cool for Airdrie and Chestemere (the two most likely candidates) to become attached to Calgary by built up area whether it be industrial, commercial or residential. Also I would also love to see a super tall on the more Western side of downtown (to balance all the tall towers on the East side). The last thing I'd really like to see is more nodes of towers pop up around the city. For me when I think of "big city" one thing, among many, that does come to mind is multiple clusters of high rises not just the core skyline. If I could get those three wishes to come true however likely, in my mind that would make Calgary more of a "big city" from a visual perspective.

 

[CBBarnett]

I would think it would be cool for Airdrie and Chestemere (the two most likely candidates) to become attached to Calgary by built up area whether it be industrial, commercial or residential. Also I would also love to see a super tall on the more Western side of downtown (to balance all the tall towers on the East side). The last thing I'd really like to see is more nodes of towers pop up around the city. For me when I think of "big city" one thing, among many, that does come to mind is multiple clusters of high rises not just the core skyline. If I could get those three wishes to come true however likely, in my mind that would make Calgary more of a "big city" from a visual perspective.

I agree with you here about the multiple nodes as the city grows. I would add to making Calgary a "big city" not just from a visual perspective, but from a "cultural and social" perspective. For me Calgary's suburban history and rapid growth has left our urbanity lacking: the "city" part is not the attraction in the eyes of locals and visitors alike. The growing urban community here is fighting for a more urban and vibrant scene, but remains relatively small and faces an endless battle with suburban indifference at many levels in our local dialogue, politics and culture - sometimes this indifference even manifesting into outright opposition of the big city vibrancy I am hoping for, in the form of car-oriented transportation planning and a lack of local leaders to champion urban public spaces, urban culture and things like pedestrian/bicycle infrastructure. With notable improvements in recent years aside, all our sprawl, empty/underutilized parks, and discontinuous main streets have been the results.

As for my crazy dream: Calgary's small urban centre (say the most urban 250,000 Calgarians) is granted more local authority to ensure it can turn into the "big city" place it can be. A bicycle transportation network that is for transportation, not for recreation. True pedestrian prioritization in the core, not advanced green turning lanes and 5 lane arterials. Public space in the form of plazas and squares, not in the form of nature walks and empty trails. A social movement scene, that protests local issues in favour of "big city" thinking, vigorously and listened to, not marginalized or ignored.

If that doesn't happen then I want inner Calgary to secede from the larger city and forge it's destiny on its own