[Cowtown]

I agree 100%, and I've seen this be the case with Calgary where over the years streets like 10th street (Kensington), 4th street (Mission), and 9th (Inglewood) were not particularly nice streets at one time, but over the years, the streets simply evolved. Having a BRZ of some sorts may have helped, but for the most part these streets simply evolved organically.

Some really passionate writers in here - I like it. A couple of cents from me (mostly subjective views):

1) Vibrancy can't be fabricated - it tends to be emergent. The burbs generally have very generic shopping, commodity retail, Starbucks, credit tenants but are super boring and have a lifecycle of ~30 years without significant investment. Great streets & areas emerge with a authentic, artisan, or unique, unreplaceable anchors. I like Banyan Tree as the anchor in Lahaina, on their Front Street which used to be a fishmonger's market. I generally find Hawaii retail and streetscapes total dogshit, but this street is very special, and you feel it as soon as you get there. This is why I think we need to focus on ways and reasons people gather, cross, bump into each other. Calgary has this, I think, in Inglewood (love the gun store and convenience store amid upscale furniture) so does 17th ave and Kensington. I'm not convinced about Marda Loop - I think it has a bit more improvement but the nimby-sun-paranoi will basically clip the real growth and resilience of the neighbourhood.

 

[retrofiturbanism]

I agree 100%, and I've seen this be the case with Calgary where over the years streets like 10th street (Kensington), 4th street (Mission), and 9th (Inglewood) were not particularly nice streets at one time, but over the years, the streets simply evolved. Having a BRZ of some sorts may have helped, but for the most part these streets simply evolved organically.

Exactly. Kensington, Marda Loop, 17th avenue were all actually predominantly residential streets when they were first built. You can see that in the multiple older homes that were commercial conversions that are still around today. I think we have too much a focus on "master planning" a community, a district or a street, and not enough appreciation for the process of getting there. We think too much of what some ideal end-state should be, and not the hundreds of incremental steps to get there. What we have lost is the organic, eclectic and piecemeal evolution of neighbourhoods.

One home converts to a small office. A few others follow in the next couple years. Then another converts a home to a salon. A few more retail businesses open up in homes along the street. Next, someone on the block does an addition to the front of their home and puts in a clothing store. Some more additions follow. A couple of restaurants and coffee shops open up. A few years later, someone tears down two homes to build a two storey commercial building with ground floor retail and offices above. A few more people do the same. Then a few of those office conversions are torn down to build a four storey office building with retail on the ground floor. Several more follow over the next decade. Later, four homes are demolished to build a 10 storey condo. This is pretty much what happened to 17th avenue, Kensington Road, 33rd Avenue, Edmonton Trail. And we have lost that.​

 

[retrofiturbanism]

This density discussion is interesting. One fun fact to add to it. With Calgary's plan to accommodate 50% of our growth by 2076 in the existing city, we basically will have the population of Toronto proper in approximately the same area, but without the GTA. I.e. we will have about 2.5 million people in 800 km2 (Toronto proper is 2.5m now in 620km2). It is no small task.

 

[darwink]

Well, at least some will be brown field re-purposing of light industrial as higher order transit pushes through, redeveloping neighbourhood commercial into commercial resident mixed use. Plus materplanned redevelopments can hopefully point the way, with Currie Barracks, along with infill.

 

[Surrealplaces]

This.

Exactly. Kensington, Marda Loop, 17th avenue were all actually predominantly residential streets when they were first built. You can see that in the multiple older homes that were commercial conversions that are still around today. I think we have too much a focus on "master planning" a community, a district or a street, and not enough appreciation for the process of getting there. We think too much of what some ideal end-state should be, and not the hundreds of incremental steps to get there. What we have lost is the organic, eclectic and piecemeal evolution of neighbourhoods.

One home converts to a small office. A few others follow in the next couple years. Then another converts a home to a salon. A few more retail businesses open up in homes along the street. Next, someone on the block does an addition to the front of their home and puts in a clothing store. Some more additions follow. A couple of restaurants and coffee shops open up. A few years later, someone tears down two homes to build a two storey commercial building with ground floor retail and offices above. A few more people do the same. Then a few of those office conversions are torn down to build a four storey office building with retail on the ground floor. Several more follow over the next decade. Later, four homes are demolished to build a 10 storey condo. This is pretty much what happened to 17th avenue, Kensington Road, 33rd Avenue, Edmonton Trail. And we have lost that.​

I would like to see arterial streets like 20th ave, Northmount Drive, Elbow Drive Edmonton Trail, etc.. change zoning along the street to allow for businesses and mixed use to set up over time.

 

[MJC]

Fortunately/unfortunately most of us seem to be pretty much agreeing. Tangibly, what would make the difference? Rough sketches:

1. As-right development permit availability at planner's discretion with higher tolerance threshold (remove community consultation, put a price on additional density / height, reviewed quicker by expert panel rather than community at large)
2. TOD final occupier offsets: subsidies given to those occupying certain transportation / density growth areas (subsidy reduced by # cars in household / km driven)
3. City ROFR right of first refusal for leasing rights on any vacant land. I'm literally thinking of pop-up mobile homes / sea-can homes on vacant lots. If city has ROFR for 5/10 year minimums if developer doesn't have a DP submitted & paid option with expiry on a piece of valuable land, city has ROFR to lease that land for 5/10 year minimums. This could be a park, pop-up market, small community.
4. Ban surface parking lots - everywhere except existing. In the U.S. there are ~4 parking spaces for every car. Roughly half the surface area of a city is consumed by roads, circulation, parking spaces. Putting a price on driving means that for all of us who drive to pay the actual cost. Underground costs $50k / lot, covered $30k. This isn't a big push in my books to get rid of surface parking. Imagine what it would do to all malls that are built in the 'burbs. Total transformation. Turns greyfields in pedestrial activated spaces that people will want to live by.
5. Ban Wal-Mart.
6. Strengthen tenant laws considerably... I know this seems unconventional, but if we can pull up our renter population to 50%-60% from ~30%-35% where we are now - to more of a, say, Montreal standard, we get areas with invested people in their rental areas. There is something very utilitarian about renting in that it understands there is nothing left -but that doesn't mean you are poor or have less than someone who spends 70% of their income on housing. With stronger tenant rights, you get more long term / generational tenants who see it as a smart way to save money and live where they want to live for the long term. I think tenant laws in Alberta are way too lax in this regard, and we are missing a massive macro opportunity (not a communist...I work in private equity actually). But I think there is more for all mouths here if we strengthen tenant laws.

Thoughts?

 

[darwink]

Only a few of those were identified as main streets:

http://www.calgary.ca/PDA/pd/Pages/Main-Streets/yyc-Main-Streets/Default.aspx

 

[Calgcouver]

Only a few of those were identified as main streets:
View attachment 138289
http://www.calgary.ca/PDA/pd/Pages/Main-Streets/yyc-Main-Streets/Default.aspx

I think that Calgary has a few other roads would be interesting to create main streets in existing, older neighbourhoods. In the south, I really think Elbow Drive would be a good candidate as a Main Street, especially south of Sifton Blvd. The number 3 bus is one of the most consistent and well-used bus routes, and lots are oriented correctly towards Elbow Drive in most cases. I think Elbow Drive could be kind of like a W 4th Avenue in Kitsilano. Other streets that could be main streets are Fairmount or Acadia Drive (one or the other), 19th Street NW, and Northmount Drive. Fledgling mall sites like the Lake Bonavista Promenade would be such a good mixed-use redevelopment site.

 

[retrofiturbanism]

I think that Calgary has a few other roads would be interesting to create main streets in existing, older neighbourhoods. In the south, I really think Elbow Drive would be a good candidate as a Main Street, especially south of Sifton Blvd. The number 3 bus is one of the most consistent and well-used bus routes, and lots are oriented correctly towards Elbow Drive in most cases. I think Elbow Drive could be kind of like a W 4th Avenue in Kitsilano. Other streets that could be main streets are Fairmount or Acadia Drive (one or the other), 19th Street NW, and Northmount Drive. Fledgling mall sites like the Lake Bonavista Promenade would be such a good mixed-use redevelopment site.

You hit it right on the head. Those are perfect streets for being low-key main streets. A few shops here and there. A dentist. Lots of townhouses.

 

[Habanero]

Yep, I would add Northmount and 19th to that list for sure. Same for 20th ave NW

 

[AccUnit]

Hey all,

I've been following the forum for a while and figured why not join the party. Took some photos over the weekend of my favourite downtown buildings. Take a look. Cheers, AccUnit

*also first time posting so not entirely sure if it will work, haha.

 

[Oddball]

Welcome aboard. Nice picks! It's safe to say you've got good taste.

 

[AccUnit]

Thanks! Elveden and Barron and that corner of downtown always get me.

 

[Surrealplaces]

Welcome aboard AccUnit. Elveden is one of the more underrated buildings in town. It's one of my favorites, and unfortunately is buried in amongst the taller ones. Love that pic of Telus Sky.

 

[AccUnit]

While we're enjoying a lazy afternoon before the long weekend, here are some more.