Calgary: DIY public spaces on orphan land!
Recently, I was heading out for a bike ride when I remembered there was a DIY skate park in Calgary under the Crowchild Trail, Bow Trail Interchange so I decided to cycle by and see what is there now. The space is a bit of a “no man’s land,” with Canadian Pacific Rail Tracks limiting what can be developed next to them and lack of sun and access from the overhead freeway and LRT pillars. In urban planning, these kinds of spaces are called “orphan lands.”
But it is a perfect spot for a skatepark, despite there being the huge Shaw Millennium Skate Park just a few blocks away on the other side of the railway tracks just a couple of blocks away.
When I last visited the DIY park a few years back it was in its infancy. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not only still there, but that it had more ramps, rails and jumps though it wasn’t pretty, it was very functional and seemed to fit what I think of when I think of skate and street culture.
While there two young men happened to arrive in a relatively new SUV, parked and got out with their skateboards for some recreational fun. There were friendly and let me take a few photos of them doing their thing. When I asked them why they came to this park and not the big skate park, they said “we like that this is more real. It is more like street skating, with its random elements in a real setting.”
Yes, the space has an official name and rules. I am surprised that the skates don’t want bikes or scooters, seems to me the more the merrier, especially if it is public land.
The Bridge DIY Skate Spot is hidden under the Crowchild Trail, Bow Trail, West LRT bridges in Sunalta.
The alley next to the Skate Spot under the West LRT sky bridge already has a couple of murals and would be a great candidate for the creation of mural park that would have a unique urban sense of place. The pillar would make great canvases for street artists. There is some DIY street art already happening.
More Grit Less Glitter
I couldn’t help but think what Calgary and many cities need are less formal, glittery public spaces that cost millions to build and millions more to maintain and more gritty, graffiti-filled places created by the users. Perhaps the City could let Calgary’s street artists create a fun outdoor art park underneath the Bow Trail/West LRT bridges. Create something fun, that is truly urban with an authentic sense of place.
I was reminded that over in Montgomery, there is a bike park that has been developed by volunteers on yet another piece of orphan land on the northwest side of the Shaganappi Trail and Trans Canada Highway interchange. Not a fancy paved, pump-park like the one at South Glenmore park, but rather a simple dirt track where Calgarians of all ages and skill levels can learn – or hone - some new biking skills.
Reader Input
After posting this blog I received the following insights into the development of the Montgomery Bike Park from Gordon Jones, who is one of the volunteers championing the Montgomery bike park.
Community is what will turn these orphan lands into thriving spaces -whatever each of those might look like. Part of these DIY solutions is folks engaging with both their formal community resources (in our case the Montgomery Community Association has been an invaluable partner and has made all of our work possible) and informal community - neighborhood parents and cyclists have stepped up to participate in our committee and have provided incredible support.
Secondly, there is a tension in our work related to infrastructure requirements and availability of resources to accomplish the goals of engaged and vibrant spaces (DIY or otherwise). It takes individuals who can bridge the gap between rogue builder and city planner to tap into resources to get these spaces legitimized and protected. In our experience, talking the talk with those in authority is as important (thought less fun) than getting out and digging.
We have also found that a lot of these projects are big business, and those in authority haven't always been that receptive to "back of the envelope" type planning. They want stamped drawings and business plans which is way outside the resources we have as a committee.
DIY Spaces In Other Cities
These Calgary DIY place reminded me of Boise, Idaho’s “Freak Alley” with its massive graffiti murals in a downtown alley that have become a destination for locals and tourists wanting a unique photo opportunity. And Austin’s HOPE Outdoor Gallery, an abandoned concrete foundation of an old building that became a popular hangout for artists and others, including tourists who loved to people watch and even try their hand at graffiti art. I visited many times – even bought some spray paint myself to do a quick graffiti artwork. Though the Gallery closed in 2019, it is being reincarnated as part of an 18-acre open air cultural center off of Dalton Lane.
FYI. My interest in graffiti art goes back to the mid ‘80s, when I made a trip to New York City to experience its graffiti culture. When I got back, I organized the “Graffiti Art For Gleichen” project while living there.
Bosie’s Freak Alley is in the middle of its downtown. We visited often, on this occasion a young girls dance group was using the space to take photos. There always seemed to be people exploring the alley with is dozens of murals.
Austin’s HOPE Gallery was canvas for anyone to come and try their hand at graffiti art or making a statement. People love to just sit and talk or have a picnic in this orphan space.
Is Calgary too pristine?
In 2017, I wrote a blog that posed the questions, “Is Calgary too pristine? Should we be fostering messy urbanism? These questions were the result of visiting Montreal in December 2016 and Berlin in the spring of 2017. In both cities I was impressed by how they were attracting young professionals and had a fun vibrancy – in spite of or maybe because of – their graffiti filled alleys, messy streets and unkept public places.
Ironically, someone left a message on my website this week agreeing with my statement, “while Calgary is struggling to adapt to the new realities of the 21st century, Montreal and Berlin are firing on all cylinders when it comes to attracting young creative professionals and capitalizing on the economy of new technology,” after reading the “Is Calgary too pristine?” blog.
While Calgary and other cities are spending millions even billions on create new public space and buildings designed by famous landscape architects and commissioning public art by the latest guru international artists, it is often the older, run-down neighbourhoods with cheap rents that are most popular with the younger street oriented tech professionals.
Both Montreal and Berlin are major international hubs for tech companies, which is what Calgary aspires to be. Could it be that what Calgary needs to be more attractive to tech workers is not funky new parkades, parks, plazas, buildings and public art, but more gritty DIY public spaces, where people can create their own fun.
It is important to note that both Montreal and Berlin have seen bad times in the past and have recovered to become thriving cities again.
Last Word
Calgary is full of orphan spaces, ripe for being developed into something fun by locals at a fraction of the cost of mega projects being proposed to make Calgary and its downtown thrive again.
I hope the City will allow Calgary’s street artists and skaters to continue convert the “no man’s land” under Bow Trail and Crowchild Trail into a funky art/skate park as part of its Greater Downtown Recovery Plan.