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General Construction Updates

RE: +15, I think one of the issues is that the +15 has been designed around the 9-5 crowd. It's basically just a set of bridges connecting food courts and office building lobbies. It's not a replacement for a neighbourhood. It offers little to residents of downtown and nothing to draw people into downtown outside the 9-5. Given that just a few property owners control the entire +15 network, the idea that they would voluntarily change things to accommodate a 24-7 customer base made up of local residents and recreational visitors seems like a long shot. Transitioning downtown to a 24-7 residential/recreational destination would be a lot easier if most of the retail was at street level. That would give individual retailers a lot more autonomy on hours, etc.
 
One of the interesting aspects of the +15 is that it was originally built in recognition that Calgary's downtown sidewalks were too narrow, not to be an enclosed streetscape environment. So the impetus to move retail off of those sidewalks was not just a consequence, it was the goal. Now, the +15 was also supposed to be 24 hours, and be far more extensive (every block connected to every other block with two bridges), and be the streetscape, with the ground level becoming almost like Chicago's lower road network.
 
One of the interesting aspects of the +15 is that it was originally built in recognition that Calgary's downtown sidewalks were too narrow, not to be an enclosed streetscape environment. So the impetus to move retail off of those sidewalks was not just a consequence, it was the goal. Now, the +15 was also supposed to be 24 hours, and be far more extensive (every block connected to every other block with two bridges), and be the streetscape, with the ground level becoming almost like Chicago's lower road network.
This is interesting because the assumption that they are too narrow is solely dependent on another assumption, that expanding them and taking vehicle space was unfathomable. If you don't value vehicular throughput as much, the rest of the assumptions also hold less water.
 
Yeah pretty much.
Combined with the CALTS 1968 plan, basically an almost ring freeway around downtown feeding into massive interceptor parkades, a mass transit subway, and plus 15s.
198568

198569

Would have been entirely different. And entirely motivated by an assumption that road space was for cars.
 

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The +15 has it's benefits to be sure, I used it daily for a few years and it was nice to go get some lunch and hit the mall without bringing a coat. My biggest beef is that there are so many sets of doors to go through and too much traffic to fit through there, it's faster to take the street most of the time. The other issue I have is that it's deserted outside office hours, just adds to the ghost town effect after 6.
 
^Kind of make sense as the number of planning applications is probably way down from the averages of the the late 90's through 2014
 
I have been a lurker on this forum for some time, but just created a new account. I had a question about a certain plot. There appears to be a new development being worked on behind building. Any idea what project this is? The parcel of land is on 5th Avenue SW /9th street SW facing northwards
 
I have been a lurker on this forum for some time, but just created a new account. I had a question about a certain plot. There appears to be a new development being worked on behind building. Any idea what project this is? The parcel of land is on 5th Avenue SW /9th street SW facing northwards

Here is the thread for this project:
 
Century Gardens is taking for freaking ever.
 

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