Urban Development and Proposals Discussion

[FCC1982]

At the very least we should plant more trees. And when we're done, move onto Nose Hill and plant the crap out of that with trees too. Tree all the things!

Ha ha - I would be all on-board with this.
Particularly the Nose Hill part.

 

[Mountain Man]

Nose Hill is one of the only places with native prairie grasses left in the entire country, leave it as is. There are parts with trees, but those are in the lower areas where it's possible for the soil to retain moisture, the rest is too dry.

 

[Urb]

Possibly an unpopular opinion, but every time I pass by Fort Calgary, I can't help but think the land could be better utilized. The pathways through there (both cycle and pedestrian) are busy all day every day of the week, but the park is always empty. There is a lot of park space, and I can't help think some of it could be developed. Not all of it, but some of it. Developing some of the area could help fill in the gap between downtown and Inglewood, and allow the possibility of soem retail facing the pathway seeing as the city has missed out on that opportunity in other areas. Thoughts?

View attachment 495022

I had this exact conversation with my wife the other day. This park could be an urban jem. So much potential...

 

[haltcatchfire]

In Barcelona now and currently reading this discussion about the barren and useless Fort Calgary and wow have they developed great parks and modern urban realm here. Sure they’ve had a bit of extra time than us, but we’re so ripped off, thanks to many Canadian factors that I won’t drag into the conversation.

 

[MichaelS]

The land use for the former Kensington Manor site (the one demolished on 10th Street) went to Council today. Still no DP, but the presentation given by O2 had a neat rendering showing the planned building massing, alogn with the other proposed/under construction projects in Kensington:

https://pub-calgary.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=251811

 

[Silence&Motion]

Its fake.

Here is the rail at what should be maximum rail buildout (~1925):
View attachment 495242

The mound following the middle track was added in the year 2000. Here is 1999:
View attachment 495243
Here is 2004 :
View attachment 495244

So, in the 1990s they actually had a reproduction of the fort itself? What happened to it?

 

[DougB]

I believe that the embankment was there originally, but I don't see how what they showed me on the tour is the same embankment if they excavated the site to 5-6 metres deep.

I'm inclined to believe they didn't actually excavate a lot of the site. It wouldn't make sense to rebuild an earthen embankment and claim it had any historical value. But I could be wrong.

I always assumed the embankment was for flood protection

 

[DougB]

Nose Hill is one of the only places with native prairie grasses left in the entire country, leave it as is. There are parts with trees, but those are in the lower areas where it's possible for the soil to retain moisture, the rest is too dry.

It would be expensive to pump large amounts of water up Nose Hill. Plus, trees would likley die unless protected by north or east facing exposures.

Perhaps storm water could be redirected from areas like Edgemont to the mid elevations of Nose Hill to passively irrigate it.

The southern section of Fish Creek East of Deer Run could use forestatikn and seems well placed for storm water ponds.

 

[artvandelay]

So, in the 1990s they actually had a reproduction of the fort itself? What happened to it?

Never really thought of this but it's crazy that Fort Calgary doesn't even have a replica of the fort!

 

[darwink]

Never really thought of this but it's crazy that Fort Calgary doesn't even have a replica of the fort!

1970: "Forts are becoming a dime a dozen"

 

[badc0ffee]

I always assumed the embankment was for flood protection

Not that embankment, but like an old trackbed 1-4 feet higher than the surrounding ground. It has grass over it but you can still see it. I'll look through my photos and see if I can find anything.

 

[CBBarnett]

I find it interesting that Fort Calgary spent longer being a rebuilt interpretative site and a rail yard than it ever did as a functioning fort:

• Fort Calgary (1875 - 1914): 39 years
• CN rail yards (1914 - 1975): 61 years
• Fort Calgary interpretive site (1975 - 2023): 48 years

Along with reimagining the confluence area to return to an indigenous gathering space, I would love to see a good chunk of the park be imagined more intensely - a city centre recreation facility, soccer stadium, or a large cluster of basketball and tennis courts - something that drives daily usage and anchors the green space. Perhaps unpopular, but we could also redevelop some of the site with housing and retail without losing anything valuable - if a strip of a large, mostly empty surface parking is okay to have at Fort Calgary currently, surely some higher intensity development in the same footprint would be too.

I love Calgary's green space and open space network in the inner city, but Fort Calgary is super under-utilized, in a chain of other super under-utilized spaces stretching down towards the Stampede Park. The result is a vibrancy dead zone that disconnects Inglewood from the rest of the inner city. We need more useful, better integrated, and higher quality open spaces - not just more open spaces in overall size.

The site's current layout is so inefficient, you can probably add everything I suggest plus keep most/all of the current fort site and rebuilt structures if you want:

 

[badc0ffee]

Not that embankment, but like an old trackbed 1-4 feet higher than the surrounding ground. It has grass over it but you can still see it. I'll look through my photos and see if I can find anything.

 

[darwink]

View attachment 495480

This

is yet another recreation.

Here is the area in 1995:

 

[badc0ffee]

I assumed (and I remember the guide telling me, but I could be wrong) that it was like those wagon roads in Saskatchewan that are grown over with prairie grass. But if this is newly built, I totally don't understand the point.