Calgary Good News: Prolific Urban Infill Developments
While Calgary is often chastised by urbanists for its huge footprint due to new communities being built at the edge of the city, it should be commended for the number and diversity of infill projects the City and its developers have built over the past 25 years – and continue to build today.
Compared to Winnipeg, Hamilton or Edmonton, cities with comparable established communities, Calgary has been very successful in adding a diversity of new housing to its inner-city communities over the past 30+ years.
Almost every inner-city community in Calgary has a dozen or more of infill projects like these ones at any given time. This one is in West Hillhurst where infill development has been active since the early ‘90s.
Calgary is also in the process of creating several new 21st century master planned mixed-use urban villages like East Village. (photo credit Peak Aerials)
Several Urban Villages
While East Village, Calgary’s postcard for infill development with its many new residential towers, new library, museum, RiverWalk and public art, it is not Calgary’s only major infill development. Link: East Village Experience
The Bridges redevelopment north east of downtown is very attractive to family living.
In Bridgeland/Riverside, “The Bridges,” another City of Calgary-led infill project, is now nearing completion after 20+ years.
The Federal government’s Canada Lands has been developing the old Currie Barracks site next to Mount Royal University since the late ‘90s.
It has a population of 707 people today, but plans are in place for it to grow to 10,000 in the future – about the same size as East Village.
Canada Lands has also been responsible for the development of Garrison Woods and Garrison Green on the old Canada Forces base with populations of 2,745 and 1,680 respectively. And there neighbour, Marda Loop, looks like one big construction site with new developments on almost every corner.
Link: Marda Loop: At A Tipping Point
University District, (formerly known as West Campus) is an ambitious project managed by West Campus Development Trust on behalf of the University of Calgary. This project is unique in that the land is leased, (not owned) by the developers and residents.
This new urban village with its main street modelled after Kensington Village is quickly becoming a model 21st century urban village - the new Save-On-Foods grocery store will be opening soon.
University District is unique in that it includes a major “age-in-place” seniors living complex in the early stages of the community’s development, not at the end which is often the case.
Speaking of Kensington Village, it is undergoing a renaissance with numerous residential developments recently completed or under construction today – over the past 10 year 2,000 new people have moved into the neighbouring communities.
An example of one of several new residential development completed in the past 5 years in Kensington.
Beltline Growth Beats Suburbs!
The same for the Beltline, which has several new residential towers nearing completion. It is one of Calgary’s fastest growing communities, outpacing even new suburban communities. And two new residential developments have opened recently in Inglewood, Calgary’s oldest community, one is still under construction and three other in the late planning stages.
This Beltline project includes an Urban Fare grocery store and a Canadian Tire store with The Royal a residential tower in the background.
Diversity of Infill Development
Take a drive along Elbow Drive and you will discover how the upscale Britannia Plaza has quietly become a mixed-use hub with four new developments at 50th Ave SW. Take a ride along the NW leg of the LRT and you will see not only the many multi-family residential development that has taken place at Lion’s Park, Banff Trail, Brentwood and Dalhousie stations for the past 20 years, but new projects under construction – and there are plans for more.
Calgary also has a long history of supporting infill housing along residential streets where older, single storey homes on 50-foot lots are gradually being replaced by new homes; this has been happening since the ‘70s. Each year, about 1,000 new single, duplex and townhomes are added to Calgary’s established communities i.e. those within about 10 km of downtown.
A typical street in Calgary established community will have several of these early 21st century homes, which have replace tiny cottage homes built prior to 1950. Note: The design of these homes are very similar to the affordable housing homes below.
Affordable Housing
While most infill multi-family projects are aimed at young professionals and empty nesters, and the single family and duplex homes at young families, each year affordable infill housing projects for seniors and families are also completed.
For example, in 2012, the Lions Club’s West Hillhurst project converted 24 tiny cottage homes built in 1954 into an attractive complex with 90 modern homes for seniors next to the Bow River along Kensington Road at Crowchild Trail. Last year, Habitat for Humanity’s Southern Alberta branch celebrated the opening of 10 new homes in Bowness. Also last year and also in Bowness, The Clayton, built by Jayman BUILT as result of the RESOLVE Campaign, providing 30 new homes for Calgarians who have been struggling with homelessness.
Just Last month, The City of Calgary celebrated the opening of 6 one-bedroom, 5 two-bedroom and 2 three-bedroom modular homes in Rosedale. In Temple, Trinity Place Foundation of Alberta is busy constructing 120 new homes (70 for assisted living and 50 for independent living) for low-income seniors on the former site of St. George’s Church at Temple Drive and 52nd St SE.
In Bridgeland/Riverside “Columbus Court,” an affordable housing project designed by NORR architects and developed by Bishop O’Byrne Housing Association is under construction. This five storey building will create 104 new homes and join the Associations’ two other infill buildings - Columbus Manor and Columbus Place.
Perhaps one of the most unique infill projects was “ATCO Village,” a collaborative project between Homes for Heroes Foundation, the Mustard Seed and ATCO, which resulted in 15 tiny homes (275 square feet) at the corner of 36th St and 8th Ave SE in the established community of Forest Lawn.
Last Word
I have highlighted only a few of the many infill projects that have helped make Calgary’s inner-city communities continue to thrive in the 21st century.
While several of Calgary’s major new infill projects have been controversial, most have been welcomed by neighbours and the community at large.
Jane Jacobs, author of the 1960 book “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” was a huge fan of mixing the old with the new as a means of enhancing community vitality. She wrote “When a city can carry on a love affair with its old and its new at once, it has terrific vitality.”