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Which inner city area is king?

Which inner city area is king?

  • Beltline

    Votes: 15 30.0%

  • Bridgeland

    Votes: 8 16.0%

  • Kensington

    Votes: 11 22.0%

  • Marda Loop

    Votes: 3 6.0%

  • Inglewood

    Votes: 5 10.0%

  • Mission

    Votes: 5 10.0%

  • East Village

    Votes: 1 2.0%

  • Eau Claire \ West End

    Votes: 1 2.0%

  • Chinatown

    Votes: 1 2.0%
  • Total voters
    50
The Beltline is way too big to be considered a neighbourhood in the same sense of Marda Loop, Bridgeland, etc. The Beltline is 2.5 to 3 km wide east to west, and 600 to 700 m north to south. The equivalent area in Toronto around Yonge Street would stretch from the Financial District to Yorkville, covering at least half a dozen distinct neighbourhoods.

We tend to think of the Beltline as a single neighbourhood only because it suffers from a frustrating lack of centres of gravity, so it's easy to just draw a big rectangle on the map and call it a neighbourhood. It's more like a void that exists between 17th Ave, the rail corridor, 14th St, and the Stampede grounds that happens to have some interesting things inside it scattered amongst empty lots and fortress-like office and apartment buildings.

There are some emerging centers like 17th ave and 8th street (Mount Royal Village), 1st street and 13th ave (Victoria Park), and other declining centres (Electric Ave/Design District). Hopefully as the population grows, these areas will become recognized as distinct neighbourhoods in their own right. Mount Royal Village is already there. Hopefully one day 1st street SW will fill in between 12 Ave and 17th Ave and anchor the mid-eastern portion of the Beltline.

Also, why is Chinatown not listed as an option in the poll?
 
Silence&Motion said:
The Beltline is way too big to be considered a neighbourhood in the same sense of Marda Loop, Bridgeland, etc. The Beltline is 2.5 to 3 km wide east to west, and 600 to 700 m north to south. The equivalent area in Toronto around Yonge Street would stretch from the Financial District to Yorkville, covering at least half a dozen distinct neighbourhoods.

We tend to think of the Beltline as a single neighbourhood only because it suffers from a frustrating lack of centres of gravity, so it's easy to just draw a big rectangle on the map and call it a neighbourhood. It's more like a void that exists between 17th Ave, the rail corridor, 14th St, and the Stampede grounds that happens to have some interesting things inside it scattered amongst empty lots and fortress-like office and apartment buildings.

There are some emerging centers like 17th ave and 8th street (Mount Royal Village), 1st street and 13th ave (Victoria Park), and other declining centres (Electric Ave/Design District). Hopefully as the population grows, these areas will become recognized as distinct neighbourhoods in their own right. Mount Royal Village is already there. Hopefully one day 1st street SW will fill in between 12 Ave and 17th Ave and anchor the mid-eastern portion of the Beltline.

Also, why is Chinatown not listed as an option in the poll?
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Agree about the size of the Beltline. It also comes back to what Alex had posted earlier. The Beltline is a different type of neighborhood compared to Kensingtons, and Missions, etc..It's a unique neighborhood, and is the only neighborhood in Calgary of its kind, with that bustling high density vibe. For those into the busy neighborhoods with high amounts of activity, nightlife and retail the Beltline is the place.
 
My point is that the Beltline isn't a "neighbourhood" and calling it a neighbourhood is a bit like calling NE Calgary a neighbourhood. The practical (as opposed to official) boundaries of inner-city neighbourhoods are shaped by walkability. They're basically commercial centres and all of the surrounding residential areas within walking distance of that centre.

The Beltline, on the other hand, is just a large swath of land that can be distinguished from the rest of the city due to its unique built form. Because it lacks strong commercial centres, people tend to walk in all different directions, but only a fraction of the Beltline is within walking distance of any given location

Edit: By the logic stated above, I would argue that Mount Royal Village (basically encompassing the walkable radius surrounding Tomkins Park) is "King" of the inner-city neighourhoods in terms of vibrancy and livability. But most people living in the Beltline are more than a 10 minute walk from Tomkins Park, at which point they're basically walking into another neighbourhood.
 
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This is really interesting. I guess the question is - are neighbourhoods defined by shared social patterns, or the use of nodes. In walk square you can see that the Beltine is continugous and fluid across most of its length.

1612473566772.png
 
I'd like to know what the colours indicate? Obviously green equals higher concentration of amenities? Or is it population? Either way, a legend would be good.
 
UrbanWarrior said:
I'd like to know what the colours indicate? Obviously green equals higher concentration of amenities? Or is it population? Either way, a legend would be good.
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Walkscore - proximity to amenities, however flawed. I suspected that we’d have seen a bit of Balkanization between different parts of the Beltline, but alas we do not.
 
Hahaha Balkanization 🤣 I love it. Is it not a good thing that the Beltline hasn't seen that phenomenon though? You can certainly see a drop off in EVP and west of 9th though.

At first glance I am shocked to see Inglewood so low (since it is extremely walkable) but from the perspective of a resident, it doesn't have a grocery or hardware store within a reasonable distance. Also, I don't agree with the drop off in Mission. The neighbourhood is fully served by everything except a theatre. There is even a Canadian Tire and at least one CTrain station (Erlton) within a 15 min walk of 4th.
 
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I like everything about Inglewood, but it could use a grocery store for sure. A little extra density right in around the intersection of 12th street and 9th ave would be good also, but in many ways I hope the neighborhood doesn't change much.
 
The corridor stretching approximately 900 m, of light industrial/office land between the Inglewood and the Crossroads Market Green Line stops will be a brilliant neighbourhood add on over the next 40 years.
 
darwink said:
The corridor stretching approximately 900 m, of light industrial/office land between the Inglewood and the Crossroads Market Green Line stops will be a brilliant neighbourhood add on over the next 40 years.
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Agreed, probably the only place where a lot of intensification makes sense and won't be bitterly opposed by residents. The only downside of those lots is their proximity to the train tracks, but I guess the same could be said for most of the lots in Inglewood or Ramsay
 
This is an exercise my family has gone through in great deal in the past year as we look to move within the city. Not totally due to West Village towers looming over my living room, but it's a factor. We're currently in Hillhurst, but have evaluated Sunnyside, Sunalta, Beltline, Lower Mount Royal, Mission, Inglewood, Ramsay, Bridgeland, and East Village as options. We've lived in Mission and Beltine in the past. As far as a neighbourhood to live in, ByeByeBaby's post nailed our requirements, but with added layers of elementary school and my wife's commute to the NW.

I put together the following map to target the ideal regions. Orange regions are 15 min walk to grocery. Brown are 15 min walk to cafes. Blue are 10 min walk distance to public elementary schools. I didn't region for Inglewood because they don't have a walkable public elementary school so they were left off the exercise quick. Technically they do, across Blackfoot but it's essentially a different neighbourhood.

Screenshot 2021-02-05 154100.png
 
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