Vancouver’s West End neighbourhood is considered by many to be the nirvana of urban villages in North America. And rightly so. On the other hand, Calgary’s Beltline flies under the radar for most national and international urbanists as one of North America’s most attractive urban villages. Here are some of my observations – as a Calgarian - after living in Vancouver’s West End for almost a month over the past holiday season. And yes I experienced one of their heavy snowfalls.

While Calgary’s Beltline is no West End, it might surprise Calgarians and urbanists how similar the two urban villages are.

Vancouver’s West End

Vancouver’s West End is almost pastoral, surrounded by water on three sides and next to the hauntingly beautiful Stanley Park forest. It includes three vibrant main streets – Denman, Davies and Robson. Its tree-lined residential streets are a perfect mix of old and new, tall and short buildings. Even the residential towers have lush, manicured front yards (perhaps “gardens” would be a better term), that make it feel like you are walking in a luxury single-family home community, not a sterile concrete jungle like so many of today’s new urban villages. It is probably one of the few places in the world where a 10-storey residential tower can be hidden behind the trees.

The neighbourhood has five grocery stores (two Safeways, a Whole Foods, Urban Fare and Davie Independent) as well as several independent markets. There are 100s of restaurants and cafes offering a global array of cuisine experiences. And there is a recreation centre, library, high school and two elementary schools too. It boasts two beaches (Sunset and English Bay) as well as easy access to the Sea Wall pathway. Davie Village is not only Vancouver’s, but Western Canada’s gay village or should I say LGBTQ+ Village.

This 112-block neighbourhood is home to almost 50,000 people.

Old and new single family homes, diversity of architectural styles and scale of buildings

The streets of the West End are like walking in a garden

Calgary’s Beltline

The Beltline can’t match Stanley Park, but it does have Stampede Park as its neighbour, offering a diversity of urban experiences - from the Calgary Stampede & Exhibition (which is one of Canada’s biggest music festivals), to Calgary Expo a major cosplay convention. It is also home to the Saddledome arena which hosts not only hockey, lacrosse and skating events, but major concerts too. And it will soon house Western Canada’s largest convention/trade show centre.

Architecturally, it is also home to modern residential skyscrapers, next to early 20th century homes and mid-century low and mid-rise apartments. It has a high school and an elementary school, and a heritage library, but no major recreation centre. And yes, the Beltline’s residential streets have an impressive tree canopy, but unfortunately the front yards are less garden-like, due to its prairie climate.

The Beltline has one major pedestrian street – 17th Avenue (aka The Red Mile), an 18-block long main street, as well as numerous smaller main streets on 1st, 4th, 8th, 11th and 14th Streets as well as 10th and 11th Avenues, offering a diversity of retail, restaurant, café and entertainment experiences. It is home to two new food halls – First Street Market and The District at Beltline as well as Canada’s original CRAFT Beer Market and several craft breweries as well as Calgary’s signature pub, the Ship & Anchor.

The Beltline also boasts several grocery stores – Safeway, Calgary Co-op, Urban Fare, Community Natural Foods and Sunterra. And, while Calgary doesn’t have an official Gay Village, the Beltline is considered by many Calgarians to be its unofficial one.

The 125-block neighbourhood, it is home to 26,000 people

Beltline is home to caring agencies next to residential and hotel towers.

Stampede Park is home to hundred’s of events and festivals year-round in addition to the 10-days of Stampede.

The Beltline has several funky towers, like Mark on 10th at the corner of 10th Ave and 8th Street that includes a MEC store, art gallery, nightclubs, cafe, bike shop and several restaurants.

Beltline residential streets are a mix of old and new buildings, from single family homes (some even have nice front yard gardens) to high-rise apartments.

More Comparisons

Vancouver’s West End is home to several heritage homes including Mole Hill, a block of 30 Victorian and Queen Anne Homes, while Calgary’s Beltline has the stately Lougheed House and it’s garden that takes up an entire block.

No urban village is complete these days without at least one dog park - the West End has the Nelson Park dog park, as well as one nearby in Stanley Park and another along West Georgia, while the Beltline has the quaint Connaught dog park. It should also be noted that many of the new residential towers have their own dog parks these days in both neighbourhoods.

Mole Hill is an entire block of heritage homes that are managed by a Foundation providing unique affordable housing in the City Centre.

Tourists /Retirees vs Workers

Vancouver’s West End is much more of a tourist playground than Calgary’s Beltline. Stanley Park, the West End beaches and sea wall are all major tourist attractions. As a result, Vancouver’s West End has 20+ hotels which results in thousands of visitors exploring its main streets all day, every day.

The West End is also a popular place for people to retire or for Western Canadians to have second home to escape the cruel prairie winters. Retirees (15% of the West End’s population is 65+) help to enhance a neighbourhood’s vitality as they love to go for walks, bike rides and meet up with friends for coffee or lunch regularly, unlike those who must go to work.

Calgary’s Beltline is neither a tourist attraction nor a retiree village (only 7% are 65+), but primarily a bedroom community for young professionals who enjoy the short walk to their downtown offices (perhaps less so now with hybrid workplaces, being more common).

The Beltline’s Tomkins Park is a fun place for people of all ages to hang out. Yes even the seniors.

Last Word

Interestingly, Calgary’s downtown population increased by 21% from 2016 to 2021 (Statistics Canada), while Vancouver’s increased by only 7.4%. In fact, in Canada only Montreal’s downtown population, at 24% grew faster than Calgary’s over that period, a healthy sign for Calgary’s urban villages.

While Calgary’s Beltline is no match for Vancouver’s West End, it does have the critical mass and diversity of people, places and activities to be one of Canada’s healthiest urban villages and the best on the Canadian prairies.

An edited version of this blog was published in the Calgary Herald, March 28, 2023 in the New Homes + Condo section.

Learn more about Calgary vs Vancouver:

Calgary vs Vancouver: Affordability & Livability

Calgary leads Vancouver in condo design?

Cycling: Calgary vs Vancouver

Urban Villages: Vancouver’s West End vs Calgary’s Beltline