In part one, I asked the question “Is Calgary boring/boring?” and the answer was “Yes!” We then looked at ways to make Stephen Avenue Walk into a more animated place including the creation of an exciting, experiential “Energy and Agricultural Exhibition” Centre. In part two, we will look at the potential for three other unique Calgary experiences – Skywalk Park, Bow River Promenade and branding Kensington and Inglewood as Jane Jacob villages.

Skywalk Park

Instead of apologizing for the +15 system, Calgary should embrace what is the City’s most unique urban experience – wandering the +15 walkway - a maze of 86 bridges connecting over 100 buildings and creating a 16-km indoor walkway.

Instead of closing the doors, we should be opening them up to buskers, pop-up spaces, cafes, temporary art installations etc. We should be counter intuitive and suggest tourists “GET LOST” in Calgary’s amazing maze.

It is the perfect experience for winter tourists and could be a great reason for Calgary families to come downtown on a cold weekend. The kids would love running around downtown, overtop of the cars, finding the cows and other works of art, mini parks etc. It is ripe for a major winter indoor street performers festival.

Suggestion: How about Calgary Transit throwing in FREE LRT rides on weekends from noon to 4 pm in the winter the kids would love that?

Perhaps we should take a page out of Singapore’s urban planning book and transform the +15 into a huge indoor tropical park. FYI: Singapore has created some amazing indoor parks with elevated walking pathways that are literally out of this world.

The +15 already has three indoor parks like Devonian Gardens or Brookfield Place’s piazza and Jamieson Place’s tranquil winter garden with the Chihuly glass sculptures.

The Core already has a huge skylight, what if it became a huge flower park in the winter – who doesn’t love flowers! Bankers Hall also has a huge skylight that could support a hanging garden.

Imagine if every +15 bridge was like a green house in the winter with hanging plants and flowerpots. What if major office lobbies became a garden or a mini-park – Eight Avenue Place has great potential with its existing trees, iconic designer furniture, café and paintings by some of Canada’s most famous artists.

By adding more cafes, beer gardens, pubs, public art and street performers the +15 could become something uniquely Calgary. Think of the giant white trees as the grand entrance to the Calgary Skywalk Garden.

Sadly, what is Calgary’s most unique urban experience is now mostly closed evenings and weekends. Most urban planners and academics don’t get how popular and valued the +15 system is with downtown workers. It is the best place for networking. It is part of downtown’s ecosystem. With a little imagination it could become for Calgary what the High Line has been for New York City.

What is needed is a +15 champion at City Hall.

The Bow River Promenade

San Antonio has its Riverwalk, Vancouver has its Sea Wall, Calgary has its Bow River Promenade from Shaw Millennium Park to Fort Calgary Park. It could easily be branded at the one of North America’s great urban walks.

Visitors would not only get to see the crystal-clear water of the glacier fed Bow River (there needs to be information panels telling people the source of the water and why is it sometimes green), but one of the world’s best skate parks (Shaw Millennium Park), West Eau Claire Park, Prince’s Island Park, Sin Lok Park, St. Patrick Island and finally Fort Calgary Park. They would also wander by Eau Claire and East Village plazas, as well as three iconic bridges – Peace Bridge, Centre Street Bridge and George C King Bridge.

It would be great if there were information panels along the way informing visitor what are the names and history of various towers that make up Calgary’s downtown skyline. This summer we had visitors from London, England, who have travelled extensively and they commented “Calgary has one of the best skylines they have ever seen.”

What about a bike hotel on the Bow River Promenade, like you see in Italy? “What is bike hotel” you ask? It is a hotel that caters to cyclists with bike storage for those who want to bring their bikes, as well as bike rentals. In addition, they organize bike tours. In Calgary’s case that could be trips to Harvie Passage or Edworthy Park and back or could be to the Glenmore Reservoir and Weaslehead flats or perhaps all the way around the Rotary Mattamy Greenway. Maybe even have vans taking road cyclists to Bragg Creek and other foothills spots for longer rides.

Someone should be renting paddle boats, paddle boards etc. to be used in the Prince’s Island Lagoon like we have at Bowness Park. It would be great to have a Running Room on the river organizing daily runs for locals and tourist.

I am not a big fan of urban design imitation but what about some winter warming huts like they do in Winnipeg along their rivers? In Calgary’s case they could house fire pits along the promenade, not the river. We need more restaurants, cafes and lounges along the promenade, not just private residential development.

Jane Villages

While the average visitor might not know who Jane Jacobs is (author of seminal 1960 urban planning book “The Death and Life of Great American Cities”), urban travellers will jump at the chance to see these thriving vibrant authentic urban neighbourhoods. Both Inglewood and Kensington are classic examples of Jane Jacob villages with their mix of small locally owned and operated shops, cafes and restaurants many in heritage buildings.

In 2014, Inglewood was named “Canada’s greatest neighbourhood” by the Canadian Institute of Planners and it has only gotten better since. Brewery districts are cool these days, we must find a way to elevate Inglewood aka Brewery Flats as one of Canada’s best brewery districts. Inglewood is home to several uniquely Calgary cultural experiences from the Esker Foundation art gallery to live music at the Ironwood, Blues Can and sometimes Festival Hall. Inglewood is home to Calgary’s original main street; it should be a must visit for tourist.

Kensington has The Plaza arthouse cinema as its signature experience and is home to Calgary’s coffee culture – Roasterie and Higher Ground. In the summer there is the Burns Rock Garden and the Sunday Hillhurst Flea Market.

Yes, there is also East Village, but it really doesn’t have the feeling of a Jane’s Village as it is dominated by new highrises and mega public buildings – it is not village-like. And, the name invites comparisons to New York City’s East Village, famous for its bohemian culture and nightlife, which is not the case for Calgary’s.

Inglewood has a charming early 20th century main street, with a mix of shops, restaurants and galleries.

Inglewood is Calgary’s bohemian neighbourhood.

Last Word

While Calgary will probably never get out of the shadow of the Rockies and Banff as the primary destinations for tourists, we need find a way to package our city’s unique urban experiences in a way that entices visitors to want to explore our river promenade, our indoor sky park and our urban villages.

Perhaps what is needed is to create a collaborative “Calgary to Banff Experience” brand and embrace the fact Calgary is “The Gateway to the Rockies.”

Link to: Facing Reality: Is Calgary’s City Centre Boring? Part 1