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I think the growth we have seen is more a cultural/societal shift towards inner city living than a direct correlation to our economy. The inner city housing market has been fairly resilient and there hasn't been a large exodus of people in relation to what we've seen on the commercial side of things.
That +15 already exists.
Youth plays a large factor. Every year in Calgary thousands of younger people decide it's time to move out, and many (if not most) prefer the core. A young couple starting out can work retail jobs and still afford to rent one of the new buildings downtown. The rent on a downtown apartment isn't much higher than one out in the middle of nowhere so you can see why the places are filling up.
And some day a full sized dedicated art gallery. Contemporary Calgary is a good start, but we could use a full on art gallery in a facility comparable to the NMC or Library.
This is an often over-looked strength of inner city, medium/high density neighbourhoods, they can adapt quickly to changes in demand and consumer preference. Lots of apartments, lots of ages, lots of places to buy, lots of places to rent, lots of price points all lead to a robust, diverse neighbourhood that weathers changes or declines in one segment or another. The inner city also acts as a landing point for many newcomers that aren't familiar to Calgary due to availability of rentals and lack of distinguishing features to be able to choose between the Hawkwoods, Strathconas, Mackenzie Townes of the world when first moving here.
Agreed. A huge strength Calgary has is that while it's urban environment is maturing and improving, it remains affordable to a diverse group of demographics. One thing I noticed living in Inglewood for example, was the number of young families out and about on Halloween.
