CentreCity

Get to Know Your Beltline

Hey may we be so bold as to make a suggestion as to what you should do on the weekend? How about you run some errands or just go for a nice fall weather walk in the Beltline community in our Centre City? It's an area full of great shops, bars, cafes and soul-satisfying art and architecture that is just waiting for you to check it out.

Before you visit, you could do a little investigating and stop by the www.beltline.ca site. There, you'll be able to find out everything you need about upcoming events in the area, news, reviews, a little bit of the politics behind the area, history, and much more.

(nice shot from up high of Central Memorial park, the library and its surrounding area in the Beltline community by JMacPherson)

Telus Spark Grand Opening

The Calgary Science Centre was a long-standing favourite for kids (and grown up kids) alike to get their science on here in the Centre City. And as the story of great success often goes, it outgrew its space and now, the centre is gearing up for its official opening to the public on the weekend in its shiny new location (220 St. George's Drive NE - just north of the Calgary Zoo). It is a little outside our CC parameters now but we're hugely proud to call them neighbors and can't wait to see how Calgarians take it all in.

The $160 million centre has a new name - Telus Spark - and the attention grabbing name is just the start. The space is now a sprawling 153, 000 square feet. And with that huge new location, comes new ideas and approaches to bringing even more science and fun into children's and adults' lives. There's even a science cafe, adult only nights, an HD digital dome theatre, an open studio...we could go on and on. Why not take a little time right now to check out the interactive floor plan by clicking here and then also take a tour through the rest of Telus Spark's website.

Lastly, check out these great photos we took a few weeks ago when we were treated to a tour of the space:

                                                                        

                                     Finishing up the panelling in the Atrium.

 

                                                 The Creative Kids Museum.

                                    

                                                 Energy & Innovation gallery.                                    

                                    The Being Human gallery.
                                    

                                              

  DOME theatre (scheduled for 2012 completion).

                                    

                                   The Presentation Theatre - two theatres!                                     

                                    Cool classrooms!

                                  
                                    The main atrium looking towards the giant wall of windows.

                                     

                                     The Feature Gallery.
                                    

All the best to our Centre City neighbour! Let us know what you think of the new space. Do you plan on attending the big opening weekend? Leave us a comment!

 

Centre City Congress Keynote: Renee Daoust

On October 18th, a great big group of Centre City employees, policy makers, movers, shakers, idea makers got together for our annual Congress. The theme of the Congress was: Thinking Big. Sharing Ideas. Working Together and that's precisely what we did.

The sit-down afternoon event got started with an inspired talk from Montreal architect and designer, Renee Daoust, principal of Daoust Lestage Inc. Daoust's ideas and big-picture thinking is well regarded internationally. And the proof is in her brilliant work with the Quartier International de Montréal, the CDP Capital Centre and Montreal's new theatre district - Le Quartier des spectacles.

The focus for the Centre City Congress since it was first held a few years ago, has been to invite keynote speakers who can broaden our horizons on myriad levels. Often, city planning and design are  at the top of that list because our working, living and playing space have a monumental impact on our city satisfaction. During her speech, Daoust commended Calgary by saying, "You have a fantastic, genius loci and you have to reveal it". She noted we have great "assets" and that the time is definitely now to "seize the moment".

This is precisely what The City of Calgary is working towards with its East Village revitalization, bike lanes, improved pedestrian and vehicle experience with  underpasses, public art and even with some unique but invigorating projects like those hugely popular food trucks that have just arrived on the scene. 

Below are some of photos of Daoust - with her presentation showcasing how her work has helped to open up Montreal's core to the rest of the city. We were particularly interested in the incorporation of public art and use of light (both natural and artificial) in her design. Take a look at some of what she shared with us: 

 

 

Centre City Congress 2011 - Short Video Recap

What's the Centre City Plan? What was the 2011 Centre City Congress all about? Check out this quick little explainer video that was put together after this year's hugely successful Congress. It features first, the Centre City team's Sonny Tomic and second, our Mayor Naheed Nenshi.

 

 Thanks to The City of Calgary blog for producing and sharing this video with us!

 

 

 

Centre City Congress 2011 - A Great Day!

Thanks to everyone who helped make the 2011 Centre City Congress a roaring success! We had wonderful feedback from all those who participated in the speed networking event in the morning and then a packed room had the chance to listen to our Mayor Naheed Nenshi on the morning of his "Nenshi-versary". It helped to set the day's tone: "we love our city, now, let's talk about its future!". 

In the coming days and weeks, we'll post photos and stories from the big day. We hope it serves as more than a recap. More, we intend it to be a bookmark for you to come back to and reference - to show friends and colleagues some of the big ideas and plans we have for the Centre City's future. So please do check back soon for more.

Here now are just a few shots taken on the day:

 

Calm Before the Brainstorm

It's where we work, live, play, eat, create; its buildings and bridges are what draw in our gaze when we're on the outskirts of town. Calgary's core along with its surrounding communities is called the Centre City and this week, people from all over are gathering to talk about the area's immense value and also its future.

The Centre City Congress is more than just an annual meeting. It's a chance for The City of Calgary, developers, business owners, arts groups, not for profit agencies, policy experts, big thinkers, and everyone in between to swap ideas and share plans for our Centre City's future.

We promise to share much of what happens at tomorrow's event through photos and follow up posts. So if you're keen to see it again after the fact, or if you never managed to get to it in the first place, please do check back here in the coming weeks for lots of great information and ideas. Your vision of the Centre City matters to us. Share comments if you like, and leave us a little feedback if you happened to attend this year's congress.

(photo of Calgary skyline by LipBomb)

Centre City Congress - An Invigorating Day

The Centre City Congress is fast-approaching (October 18th, 2011) and if it feels like we're harping on this one big event, well you're right - we are! But for good reason. This single gathering of great Centre City minds is a chance to revive your ideas about keeping downtown and its surrounding area thriving and inviting.

Last year's Centre City Congress was a wild success with not a single seat to spare; Calgarians and even a few visitors to our city came together to celebrate our home and look forward to its future plans. There was discussion about how Bow Valley College would positively impact the community, an exciting chat about the National Music Centre, and discussion about how the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation was shaping East Village to be the next destination place for #yyc-ers and visitors alike.

 

The speaker lineup for this year's session is sure to grab your attention - take a peek at this list:

• Gerry Meek, CEO, Calgary Public Library, speaking about the new Central Library.
• George Brookman and Brian Felesky speaking about Transformation Calgary’s goal to build a better city, one penny at a time.
• Calgary Municipal Land Corporation's new CEO Michael Brown and Susan Veres, Vice-President of Marketing and Communications, will provide an update on the East Village development.
• The City of Calgary's Centre City Planning & Implementation Manager Sonny Tomic will share an update on completed and upcoming Centre City initiatives.
• Don Mulligan, Director of The City of Calgary’s Transportation Planning team, speaking on Calgary’s bicycle strategy and how The City is achieving the Municipal Development Plan’s transit ridership goals.
• And this year's keynote speaker is Renée Daoust, principal of Daoust Lestage Inc. A renowned architect and designer, she is well regarded for her role as project and design architect for the Quartier International de Montréal and the CDP Capital Centre.

Last year, the room came alive with ideas and plans from a wide range of dedicated Centre City fans. There were city Aldermen, builders, architects, teachers, oil and gas employees, musicians, artists, planners, economists, environmentalists, big thinkers, urbanists, learners, avid cyclists and everyone in between. Each of us had different roles in the community but we shared one common goal: thinking big, sharing ideas, working together.

Register now by clicking here.

 

Mayor Naheed Nenshi Opening Centre City Congress!

The City of Calgary is thrilled to announce that His Worship Mayor Naheed Nenshi will be giving theopening address at the upcoming Centre City Congress on October 18th.

If you have yet to register, don't hesitate to join Mayor Nenshi and over 200 more committed Centre City stakeholders for this exciting afternoon of thinking big, sharing ideas and working together to build a more livable , caring and thriving core.

Mayor Nenshi will be joined by an exciting roster of speakers including keynote Renée Daoust, principal of Daoust Lestage Inc. A renowned architect and designer, she is well regarded for her role as project and design architect for the Quartier International de Montréal, the CDP Capital Centre and Montreal's new theatre district - Le Quartier des spectacles.

Register today!

For more info on the Congress - click on the orange tab on the top, left.

Congress Speed Networking Spots Filling Up!

Not to be confused with speed dating... the Centre City Congress is kicking off this year's event with a special Speed Networking morning session. And you're invited!

Join 20 Centre City leaders for an exciting Speed Networking session right before the Congress. It’s your chance to meet others like you who are connected and committed to the Centre City. From the Mayor’s office, to representatives from the arts sector, to developers, to community builders, including City of Calgary Centre City staff – all those people in one room! It's an opportunity that doesn't come along everyday. This is a great opportunity to get those conversations started and ideas shared amongst your new Centre City contacts. Bring lots of business cards and an open mind and get ready to engage.

The Speed Networking session is at the BMO Centre – Calgary Stampede Palomino Room and is $25. It starts at 9:45 and ends with coffee and refreshments at 11 am. The Congress agenda begins at 11:30 am. Sign up for both as soon as you can - there are limited spots available.

REGISTER HERE and sign on to our email list too!

And some visuals for you of what Speed Networking looks like (images courtesy www.segd.org):

 
 
 

East Village Wins a Brownie Award

(RiverWalk in East Village photo by ayrcan)

 

A cherished part of our Centre City has been given some marvelous national attention this week. The Calgary Municiapal Land Corporation (CMLC)'s East Village redevelopment project received a 2011 "Brownie" award. The Brownie, handed out by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI), was for Best Overall Project - Large Scale.

As fall is now officially here, why not take advantage of the remaining snow-free nights in our Centre City and take a walk around East Village. See for yourself how the space has changed over time thanks to all the hard work and visioning of the CMLC. 

To read more about the CMLC and its East Village redevelopment project, here. And to visit the East Village website (there you can keep up to date on all the upcoming events in the area), here.