Calgary Underpass Guidelines Handed a National Award

Earlier this year, we shared a post with you regarding the Centre City's underpasses - about plans and ideas for making those underpasses better, brighter, more walkable (and ride-able) places (click here for that post). It turns out today, those Downtown Underpass Guidelines got some really big acknowledgement in the form of a national award! The City of Calgary received the Canadian Institute of Planners' (CIP) Planning Excellence Award in Urban Design for the Guidelines. It happened earlier today at the CIP National Conference in St. John's, Newfoundland. 

Approved by Council in November 2010, these Guidelines will be used to help The City with building and reshaping future underpasses in Calgary. It means creating more inviting space for pedestrians and vehicles alike, better lighting, public art, greenery, connectivity from one area to another; creating an underpass environment that people want to go to instead of avoiding or passing quickly through just to get to the other side. 

View The City of Calgary’s Downtown Underpass Urban Design Guidelines. And check out the illumination guidelines here as well. 

For more information on the Canadian Institute of Planners’ Planning Excellence Awards, visit their website.

And of course, a huge project in the Centre City which will implement some of these ideas is the 4th Street underpass that is currently underway. It is expected to be finished by the end of 2011. Check out the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation's great video interpretation of the project here: 

 

Comments

[Ben]

Hi Sean,

Through the Centre City Mobility Plan, The City has identified the following underpasses as part of the bicycle route connectivity: 5th Street, 4th Street, 1st Street W, 1st Street E, McLeod Trail and 4th Street E. This plan can be found on The City's website at calgary.ca/centrecitymobility.

Further details on what the improvements will look like will be determined as each location is more thoroughly investigated.

8th Street is likely to be one of the first underpasses to be upgraded using the recently approved Downtown Underpass Urban Design Guidelines as a framework.

Funding is currently being requested for the 2012-2014 business cycle, for a variety of cycle and pedestrian improvements in the Centre City with confirmation by Council of what will be included to be confirmed in November 2011.

Also, The City’s Cycling Strategy, identifies 4 Street SW, 1 Street SW, 1 Street SW and MacLeod Trail SE underpasses on the Centre City Action Plan Map for planning route improvements in 2013-2014.

Thanks for your comments.

Ben – The City of Calgary

[Sean]

Very nice!

I am looking forward to cycling through the new 4 st se underpass once its completed.

On the flipside, where are the plans to upgrade the current underpasses at 1/4/5/8 st sw? These areas are heavily used by pedestrians and due to their dangerous design, are real barriers to cycling between the Beltline and the Core.