Are We Winter Wusses?
For decades now, I have advocated that winter cities need to think differently when it comes to the design of buildings, streets, parks, plazas and pathways, as well as the height and positioning of buildings.
I recently attended a "Winter City Design" forum hosted by the Alberta chapter of the Urban Land Institute at the newly renovated St. Louis Hotel in Calgary’s East Village. I thought this would be a great opportunity to learn what’s new in the world of winter city urban design thinking. Unfortunately I came away with no new ideas!
Winnipeg's warming huts for skaters along the river are a great idea that could easily be adapted to other cities for pathways and parks. The warming huts were not even mentioned at the Forum.
Winter Cities 101
A winter city is commonly defined as one where the average winter temperature is below freezing during the city’s coldest month and has an annual snow accumulation of more than 20 cm (8 in.). This unfortunately doesn’t take into account things like wind chill factor or temperature fluctuation.
For example, Calgary can have a week or two where the temperature doesn’t get above -20C followed by a week where the mid-day high is over +10C every day. Other cities like Copenhagen hover around the freezing mark during winter, but rarely get below -10C. Some winter cities get lots of snow that stays all winter (Montreal gets the most snow of any major city in the world - 209 cm on average), while others get minimal amounts of snow, which melts quickly. Not all winter cities are equal.
The idea that winter cities should share ideas on what works and what doesn’t with respect to creating a quality of life for its citizens in the cold, dark winter months dates back to the ‘60s. Calgary’s Harold Hanen, a planner at the City of Calgary from 1966 to 1969, was one of the champions. His “big idea” to make Calgary’s downtown more appealing in the winter was a series of above-ground pedestrian bridges linking downtown office, shopping, hotel and cultural buildings.
Today, there are 60+ bridges, known as +15 bridges named for the fact they are 15 feet above the sidewalk (it is the longest indoor above ground walkway in the world.)
Calgary's +15 walkway allows downtown workers to explore downtown without having to put on their coats and also without having to negotiate slippery streets and cars. Planners don't like them as they say they destroy the street vitality. Public loves them. My observation is that public uses them when climate is harsh but once the weather is nice (winter or summer) people would rather be outside. It is the best of both worlds.
Nothing New To Report
I was disappointed all three presenters at the ULI event (two from Edmonton, one from Cleveland) really had nothing new to share about winter design guidelines or other insights. Basically, what they had to say was common sense and already well documented.
Winter cities need to:
- Capture the sun
- Block the wind
- Use warm colours for building facades
- Have better infrastructure (e.g. gas lines/electricity for lighting and fire pits)
- Have better snow removal management
- Avoid high-rise buildings (they block the sun and create wind tunnels)
This diagram summarizes Edmonton's Winter Design Guidelines.
While the presenters showed lots of pretty artists’ renderings of winter scenes, they were fantasy images, not real-life photos. The best photo was one of someone trying to jump over a slushy puddle with large snow banks all around them. That’s winter!
One interesting idea is to piling up snow from the streets into adjacent local parks for kids to play on. For more than a decade, Calgary’s West Hillhurst arena Zamboni drivers have piled up snow from cleaning the rink onto the playing field outside and kids have snowboarded, built forts, made snowballs and slid down all the time. I love the idea of expanding this to more local parks.
I was struck by how the Forum’s presenters seemed fixated on winter design guidelines for creating vitality in urban (downtown) spaces. Given going outside in the winter is probably at best an hour long activity, not many people are going to travel 60+ minutes on a return trip from suburbia to downtown for an hour of outdoor activities. Would a less downtown-centric approach to enhancing winter vitality not seem a wiser approach?
I expected to hear about adding outdoor activities to new suburban new recreational centers where most city dwellers spend their winter leisure hours. How can we make outdoor playgrounds more attractive in the winter? How can we incorporate more hills into our smaller urban parks for toboggans, snowboarding and sliding for young children? How can we create more snowshoeing and cross-country skiing opportunities in the city parks? It isn’t all about sitting on patios in urban plazas and patios.
And, what about ways to make winter cycling more attractive? Calgary’s Tom Babin has literally written the book on winter cycling - “Frostbike: The Joy, Pain and Numbness of Winter Cycling.” Not exactly the best title if you want to get more people to experience winter cycling, the title is catchy and it would have been interesting to learn more about how to promote winter biking.
I found this image of what you need for safe winter cycling.
This snow slide in Winnipeg next to an old fashion outdoor hockey rink. I imagine it gets used by siblings who get tired of watching the good old hockey game. I don't recall seeing one of these in another park.
Calgary's 17th Avenue is often bustling with pedestrians and patio patrons on a sunny day in the winter.
Past Festival Failures
Recently, National Geographic Canada named its top 10 winter cities in Canada. Calgary did not make the list. Edmonton did with its many winter outdoor festivals as did Winnipeg with its innovative “warming huts” along the world’s longest winter skating rink. Backstory: Probably one of the most innovative new ideas I know for enjoying winter is Winnipeg’s pop-up warming huts (think ice-fishing huts, but nicer) along the frozen Red and Assiniboine Rivers that allow skaters to rest, get out of the wind and meet up with fellow skaters. It is an idea that could work along Calgary’s Bow River and other pathways where there are lots of winter walkers and runners.
Calgary has experimented with numerous major winter events over the past 30+ years. After the 1988 Winter Olympics, annual attempts were made to have a winter carnival in the middle of February. Several locations were tried – Canada Olympic Park, Olympic Plaza, Prince’s Island and Calgary Zoo - but eventually organizers had to accept there was not enough support for it.
Calgary has also experimented with a First Night Festival (New Year’s Eve), but again, the support for its winter celebration didn’t materialize - it died a slow death.
Instead of expensive festivals with fixed dates, why not develop impromptu winter festivals when the snow allows for it. What about a snowman making weekend? This was on Oct 9th 2016, the early snow was perfect for snowman making and creating a maze the kids loved making and walking through. DIY and KISS should be part of any winter design and programming plan.
The new park in Bridgeland is great as it is a safe family toboggan hill with nearby amenities like cafes. Perhaps a toboggan festival would be fun? Something simple as everyone going to their local hill and posting photos. How can we create more hills in our local playgrounds - they don't all have to be huge? They are great for rolling, running and cycling down in the summer too.
Use Local Examples
I was puzzled as to why there wasn’t a speaker from Calgary (it is ULI Alberta), who could address our good (and not-so-good) winter city strategies. For example, Stephen Avenue Walk is kept snow free in the winter, making it an attractive place to walk, shop and hang out. It also has a lovely winter lighting program that creates a festive atmosphere - but does it work?
Calgary’s Bow River pathway too is plowed in the winter, allowing for various recreational uses. How can it be improved? And lets not forget Bowness Park, with its lovely skating pond with fire pits, restaurant and huge outdoor patio. It would also have been interesting to learn more about the Foothills Nordic Ski Club’s plans to enhance Confederation Park for cross-country skiing this coming winter.
There was talk about how in winter city restaurant patios work best on the north side of the street so you still capture the low winter sun. I have great pictures of Calgary’s Ship & Anchor patio full people in the middle of February because it’s location on the north side of 17th Ave SW with no mid or highrise buildings on the south-side of the street.
For me, Calgary’s “big missed” opportunity was the Bow Tower plaza with its lovely southwest-facing plaza and home to the “Wonderland” sculpture. Why isn’t there a cafe opening onto the plaza with chairs and tables for people to sit and enjoy the ever-changing downtown landscape?
The Bow Tower's southwest facing plaza is crying out for a cafe with table and chairs on the patio so people can soak up the winter sun and enjoy "Wonderland."
Some enterprising locals created this luge-like toboggan run in a nearby dog park. How can we encourage more DIY winter play infrastructure?
This DIY outdoor rink is being used by two figure skaters, as well as a mom and her son playing hockey and several people watching. Too bad City of Calgary limits the number of people who get access to fire hydrants for flooding the rink in any one community. Why can't there be as many ice rinks as there is demand?
It is a shame this DIY fire pit has to be removed from a local park in Calgary. Shouldn't we be encouraging this?
Mindset Change vs. Design Changes
It is going to take a huge paradigm shift in our attitude toward the cold to change the negative winter mindset of North Americans. The evolution of urban living has been focused on avoiding the cold. For example, we have evolved from driveways to alley garages, to attached garages and then remote garage door openers and, remote car starters to avoid the cold. Cars now come with heated seats and steering wheels.
In the middle of the 20th century, outdoor hockey rinks were the norm for minor hockey. Today, all games are played indoors. Some arenas even have heated enclosed lounges so spectators don’t have to sit in the cold stands.
Yes, for most of us, we hate the cold!
For those who do embrace winter, it usually means a trip to the mountains, to Canada Olympic Park or the local dog park with a canine friend or two.
What can we do to promote and improve dog parks for more uses? Dog parks get used seven days a week, year-round. There is a great sense of community at dog parks which should be capitalized on.
Last Word
A speaker at the ULI meeting asked in jest, “Have we all become winter wusses?” I would answer a definitive “YES!” We hate the cold, even if it is a dry cold and there is lots of sunshine.