Calgary East Village

For the past year or so I have visited Calgary, Alberta as a bit player in the development of Calgary's East Village Plan, which you can download here. It's a good plan, maybe even better than good and into visionary if you like subtlety and don't get seduced by starchitecture. To be sure, however, the Plan allows goofy buildings so long as they support street life, which is not as much of an impossibility as it sounds. (Read this post of mine about pedestrian-oriented startchitecture.)

Someone unfamiliar with Calgary's East Village could do no better than to start in with this article. I think that the author, Christoper DeWolf, makes a bit too much of the "social" issues of the East Village but it's a solid article overall.

As I blogged from Calgary last week, I was there to take part in an excellent symposium on the nature of the campus in the city. The event was sponsored by the University of Calgary which is making loud and pleasant noises about building a presence in the area -- an expansion from its traditional "campus" environment on the (relative) outskirts of Calgary.  There is a very good PDF on this "Urban Campus Initiative" somewhere on the University of Calgary web site but I can't seem to find it right now. The other speakers were terrific -- I  impressed myself that I was in such company: no joke -- and there was much spirited discussion -- some of it informed and some imaginary -- both in the formal presentations and in the interstices. The event was extremely well-organized from the  moment of invite to the hour of departure and yet without being dictatorial or over-programmed in the least. (My compliments to School of Architecture Dean Brian Sinclair and his consultants, particularly Ms. Brenda Barootes, for everything and I wish them well in th next stages of development.)

The basic issue, for me, is once again Why should and how can a major institution take part in building a walkable mixed-use neighborhood?  More later. Maybe I will post my presentation here as while it was wrtitten for Calgary and its East Village, the ideas have applicability to many cities.

Comments

[Lange Woon]

Take a look at how the University of Washington Tacoma has helped to spawn a revitalization in Tacoma, Wa. Though it is not a finished product yet, it is short of amazing. You would have been here to see the eyesore and abandoned buildings and depression to appreciate what it has become today. It truly was the armpit of our region. I am thinking about buying a condominium and starting a business there myself. There are a lot of choices either under construction or on the drawing boards.

[Marcel]

At what stage are they currently at and where are they going from here? Does anybody know when they are going to break ground?

[olliecat]

Dear David:

As you may know Canada Lands Corporation has big plans for West Currie Barracks. The plan includes up 16 units per acre - so high density including estate homes, single family homes, multi-family homes, commercial and retail. Only one building and the parade square are protected as heritage sites - the rest can be torn down. In all probability the farmers' market will be forced to move because Canada Lands say they can not afford to keep big hangar type buildings and parking for, in the case of the farmers' market, 3 days of operations. (Think parking and a transit bus taking workers downtown on other days of the week.) There is going to be a "High Street" that Canada Lands says some farmers' market people may move into - their example J. Webb Wines - not exactly farmers' market material. The retail rents will be way too high to attract anybody currently operating in the farmers' market so we will have high end retail with no character.

With all due respect to Canada Lands and their award winning Garrison Woods Development do we really need another Garrsion Woods type of development? Canada Lands could do an incredible visionary development that incorporates the buildings and the 161 businesses currently operating in West Currie Barracks and housing development in the spaces between INCLUDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING. West Currie Barracks could become a really funky area supporting interesting businesses in a functional environment in a residential setting. Imagine the farmers market staying, a hangar full of art studios open to the public, a place for non-profits to hang out and share services, a return of the Source skateboard park, theatre and on it goes. Imagine Gale Town in Vancouver or the Gooderham Distillery District or Habour Front in downtown Toronto. We have the potential in Calgary even if we don't have the water.

Part of the Go Plan was to develop business nodes outside of downtown. The City has failed miserably in this respect. Combine West Currie Barracks with the ATCO Business Park (if they would stop fighting with the City or vice versa) and the ManuLife Business Park east of Mount Royal College plus Lincoln Park and Mount Royal College and you have mass significant enough to attract
business and make it work outside of downtown Calgary. If you are interested Canada Lands is presenting to Council on November 20, 2006. Citizens of Calgary are allowed to speak for 5 minutes. Check the agenda at www.calgary.ca under City Hall Business. Be there or be square!

Question: Where are your favourite funky places in Calgary????? I can think of only one, the rest have been wrecked. Does anybody know what happened to the website: www.abettercalgary.com?