The Culture + Entertainment District is Future-ready
Placemaking is the Key to Resilience.
Nobody can predict the future, but it’s safe to say that unexpected events are heading our way. That means cities have to be able to cope when they arrive. A resilient city is one that can stay strong in the face of inevitable stresses and shocks. These can be economic, social or environmental. The state of emergency sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic is a prime example. The exact events are unpredictable, but resiliency means withstanding whatever comes along. One way to do this is by ensuring that the city is energetic and vital. A lively urban area also needs to ensure its opportunities and features are open to everyone. This is how cities attract brilliant thinkers and dynamic entrepreneurs. Serving as a gathering place for talent and ideas improves a city’s resiliency. This is the thinking that is at the heart of Calgary’s new Culture + Entertainment District. It will be a magnet that draws residents and visitors alike to a place of exceptional energy.
Resilient Calgary
The flood in 2013 and the more recent economic downturn made resiliency a pressing concern for the City of Calgary. Resiliency is all about absorbing stresses and shocks. The City now incorporates it into its operations and planning. This work is guided by the Resilient Calgary Strategy. In turn, the strategy informs other documents such as the emerging Greater Downtown Plan. The plan identifies 4 pillars to improve life for residents, visitors are businesses:
Place building and supporting programming that creates a destination experience
Work support the development of new and existing businesses
Live ensure that downtown is a neighbourhood of choice
Connect create and manage the frameworks that connect people, goods, information and ideas. The master-planned C+E checks all these boxes. Let’s take a look at placemaking.
What is Placemaking?
Planners know that lively streets and energetic districts help boost resiliency. But how do we create that vibrant atmosphere? The key is placemaking. The process is all about reinventing space to encourage gatherings. The urban visionary William H. Whyte is the father of placemaking. He put it best: “What attracts people most, it would appear, is other people.” It’s a simple statement, but anyone who has been to the Calgary Stampede, the Red Mile or the opera knows it to be true. Placemaking reinvents public space. It takes sidewalks, river walks and public parks and places them at the heart of the community. These become spaces where people meet, share ideas and watch the passing crowds. It’s a shared vision that arises out of collaboration. People offer their ideas and what they want to see in their neighbourhood. That process creates connection. People feel linked to the places they live and work. In turn, that strengthens the community. As residents take ownership, an area becomes more lively, fun and resilient. C+E puts placemaking front and centre. There are the big projects like the BMO Centre expansion, a new Event Centre, and the 17th Avenue extension. The C+E will connect with the East Village, Inglewood and Calgary as a whole. Just as important are the parks and open spaces that will serve both as lively venues and tranquil spots for relaxing. Successful placemaking creates benefits for the whole city. It spurs economic development and transforms under-used areas into strong communities. Improved streetscapes mean increased pedestrian safety and more walking and cycling. C+E starts with a vision. But it is not a dream pulled from thin air; it is rooted in the area’s history and energy. And it starts with making exceptional places for residents, visitors and businesses.