CentreCity

Centre City Lighting Is Getting Attention

The Centre City's Illumination Guidelines (read ALL about it here) got some nice radio air time on Thursday. It's a point of pride for us here at the Centre City because improved lighting is an amazing way to encourage more people to visit our CC - it creates a greater sense of safety and it beautifies existing structures and spaces. A good example of the implementation of this strategy is something that's happening right now with the Centre Street Bridge lighting project. Check out this link for details on that. 

Follow this link to CBC Radio's February 9th Eyeopener podcast to hear David Down, The City of Calgary's senior architect, in conversation with Danielle Suchet. The story starts just before the nine minute mark.

(A great example of the illumination strategy at work: 4th street underpass at night - photo from Calgary Herald) 

Brightening up Our Centre City

The Centre Street Bridge is already an architectural point of pride in our city, with its majestic lions and the connectivity it provides us from the North end of the city to our downtown core.

Now, all that is glorious about the second oldest bridge in Calgary is about to get some added beautification.

Next week, crews will make some changes with the feature lighting on the bridge. New LED lights will make it a much more sustainable model of highlighting the bridge's features. It means lower maintenance costs and more efficient energy usage, not to mention a better overall showcasing of the structure's features. Here is a rendering of how it's going to appear once the changes are made:  

 

Enhanced lighting of existing structures is a Centre City focus. The goal is always to create a more vibrant, inviting environment for people to experience. This bridge lighting improvement project is no exception: the interiors of the pavillions will be illuminated creating bright and welcoming gateways at both ends of the bridge.

Improvements will begin on February 6 and will require southbound Centre Street between 2 Avenue and Samis Road to be reduced to one lane during off peak hours (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) Monday to Friday and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. It's expected the project will by completed by Summer 2012. 

For more information about the Centre Street Bridge Lighting Project click here. And if you have a craving to do a little extra reading about the history of the Centre Street Bridge, check out this link. 

Design Matters Lecture - Landscape Ecology

Here's another great Design Matters lecture we wanted to tell you about...

The hugely popular lecture series, put on by the Faculty of Environmental Design at the University of Calgary, offers Calgarians a great chance to take the time to explore our surroundings and uncover big ideas about the direction design is headed. This talk, scheduled for Thursday (tonight) at the U of C's downtown campus, is an examination of landscape ecology with Richard T.T. Forman. 

Forman is a Professor of Landscape Ecology at Harvard University's school of graduate design. He is considered by many to be the "father" of both landscape and road ecology; an important mind in the world of urban-region ecology and planning.

Attend this mind-opening lecture to hear about major concepts in how we can reconnect - both with land and society - creating a more enlightened sense of place. Forman will examine urbanization and its impacts on a city. It's happening tonight at 7:00  - 8:30 p.m. at the U of C downtown campus event centre, 906 - 8th Ave. SW.

Let us know after the event if you had a chance to attend - tell us all about it! The Centre City loves big ideas and new approaches to creating an inviting and invigorating place to call home. 

 (bio photo of Forman taken from Harvard.edu)

Peace Bridge Project Update

We've seen illustrations of what it would look like and now we get to see the Peace Bridge almost entirely in place. It's truly a sight to behold:

(Peace Bridge photo by Leighton Klassen, CBC)

...and on such a grey day, that vibrant color and wonderful helix shape over the Bow river is a great addition to our Centre City.

Graham Construction slowly pushed the Peace Bridge across the temporary bridge structure along a rail system. It has been quite the process to witness this week.The pedestrian bridge is in its final construction stretch and is slated to open early 2012.

If you're out and about this weekend, you should definitely ride or walk by it to check it out.

To read more about the Peace Bridge project in the Centre City, click here and here.

Sien Lok Park Improvement

Here's your chance to help shape the space you use - or would like to use - in the Centre City...

Earlier this year we told you here on the Centre City Talk blog about calls for public input regarding ways to update and rejuvinate Chinatown's only major greenspace - Sien Lok Park. 

You know the park, it's that lush space (when there's no slightly imposing snow blanket) on the south Bow River pathway:

All the information that's been gathered with the help of volunteers in the community and also online has been turned into a draft plan which is now ready for you to check out. An open house is scheduled for November 23rd (4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre, Main Floor – Cultural Hall, 197 – 1 Street S.W.) and there, you'll be invited to view and comment on the draft plan.

Then the next stage of the process, between November 24 - December 8, you will be able to check out the document online and provide your feedback through The City of Calgary Parks webpages.

All the final input that is gathered at both the open house and online will be considered for implementation in the final plan which has a projected completion date for early 2012.

And a big congratulations to...

The City of Calgary's Parks team! It was recently awarded the prestigious Parks Excellence Award from the Alberta Parks and Recreation Association for the revitilization of Centre City's historic Central Memorial Park. Check out the Beltline Community website for the story on this latest award.

This Beltline area park, is certainly one of our best public spaces and it's been recognized with several honours. It won a Calgary Heritage Authority Lion Award for landscape conservation and an honourable mention at the Mayor’s Urban Design Awards. 

The park has also been named one of the 100 Best Public Spaces in North America by Planetizen and People for Public Spaces. What's your favourite activity in the park?

Buy a Piece of Old Science Centre History

If there's a science buff on your holiday shopping list, here's a chance to wow them.

The former Telus World of Science (in our Centre City) is gearing up for an auction this coming Sunday, November 16, 2011. You'll find antique telescopes, audio and visual equipment, children's furniture, artwork and much more. A public viewing of the items is being held tomorrow, Friday, November 18th but the actual auction event will take place on Sunday at the old Telus World of Science Building (#701, 11 St. SW).

To read more about auction items, visit calgary.ca or reidsauction.com.

  (photo by kootenayvolcano)

On the subject of the old TELUS Science Centre - while the old tennants have moved out - any ideas on who you would like to see move in to the Centre City building? It's a fun idea to think about. Share your thoughts in our comments!

World Town Planning Day Celebrated in Calgary

A group of budding urban planners in Calgary had a chance today to hear all about what it takes to help design, build and improve communities and cities. The unique learning session for children attending ACE Daycare in the Centre City was all part of World Town Planning Day (which is today, November 8th). The event took place at City Hall School at the Calgary Municipal Building where Mary Axworthy, Director of Land Use Planning & Policy was available to answer questions from the media. She also read to the children from "Where Things are From Near to Far" by Tim Halbur and Chris Steins (click that link to check it out - it really is a cool book about planning for kids!). 

The kids learned about the various buildings, services and infrastructure that make up communities and cities.  Then they got to work with a blank community and added all the fixin's!  We had a lot of red and yellow city halls, libraries sharing the block with houses and malls, as well as parks on every corner!  The Mayor even stopped in for a visit.  To quote one of the four year olds: "My favorite part of our city is everything.  I like the purple school I made because it matches the Mayor's tie."

November 8th of each year has been celebrated as World Town Planning Day since its inception in 1949 and is currently celebrated in over 30 countries on four continents.   It is an opportunity to highlight the contribution that sound planning makes to the quality of our region, city and communities.

Here are some photos from the engaging event: 

Keeping It Green: Centre City Indoor Parks

Brrrrr... it's feeling chilly out there. With winter about to set in, we here at The City's Centre City blog thought it would be fun to post some pictures of the indoor gardens that are open year-round in our downtown.

A couple of our team members captured these pics of some lovely green-filled, art enhanced gardens. They were out, revisiting what developers have been creating, to see how future developments will fit into this landscape. Take a look below and let us know which ones are your favourites.

                                     Suncor Energy Centre:

                                    Transcanada Tower:

                          Spot Artist Dale Chihuly's glass chandeliers in the Jamieson Building:

    Jamieson Building, with artist Dennis Oppeheim's installation Pathways to Everywhere:

                                    Nexen Building:

 

And don't forget, there's also Devonian Gardens! It's one of Calgary's most beloved indoor parks and it's currently undergoing renovation. It's expected to re-open next summer.

Calgary Architeture Earns Worldwide Recognition

Calgary's renowned Sturgess Architecture won big recognition this week at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona.The firm was crowned Future Project of the Year - Competition Series for its design titled Glacier Discovery Walk. It's a stunning walkway - one meant to showcase brilliant architectural design, suspended high up in the stunning natural landscape just off the Icefields Parkway in Jasper National Park. It would serve as a kind of spiritual perch to watch the land over time as it shifts, changes, recedes due to global warming.

Here's a conceptual photo from Sturgess Architecture showing how it would appear: 

 

Sturgess Architecture has worked on many Centre City projects including the 7th Avenue CTrain refurbishment, the Grand Theatre and The Bow Building.

To read more about the Glacier Discovery Walk design, click here and here.