CentreCity

Connecting and Collaborating: Centre City Faith-Based Stakeholder Engagement

 

A packed room and plenty of lively conversation. 

That was the scene at The City of Calgary's Faith-Based Stakeholder Engagement meeting on Tuesday night. Over 70 people showed up to be part of the discussion around The Centre City Plan, topics included a presentation on what The Plan is, how it was created and how it's a living document that can change over time.

 

Photo courtesy Ray Pennings/Cardus

In 2007, City Council approved The Centre City Plan, a comprehensive and strategic long-term vision for the future of our Centre City (downtown and surrounding neighbourhoods - see map). The Plan’s vision is of a livable, thriving and caring core.

During its creation, hundreds of stakeholders were engaged. Tuesday night was a chance to reconnect with some of those groups - and to create new connections with others. The aim was to hear what they thought about The CC Plan and to encourage collaboration in achieving a great Centre City!

At the meeting, we took lots and lots of notes. And over the weeks ahead, the Centre City team will be compiling these thoughts and ideas and determining next steps. We'll be keeping the group informed - and we'll be sure to update you here on the blog too!

A big thanks to all of those who came out to share their ideas. We're looking forward to working together to achieve the vision of the Centre City Plan.

 

 Photo courtesy Ray Pennings/Cardus

 

A Clean to the Core Anniversary Celebration!

Much has been done in the five years since the Clean to the Core and Centre City Safety Impact team began their work. Because of these teams (made up of both City and community partners) -  their collaboration and the inspiration they've initiated, our Centre City has become  a more livable, thriving and caring place in which to live, work and play.

Thanks to the teams' leadership efforts, in just five short years, we've seen a positive trend toward Calgarians putting in their own individual effort to help keep our Centre City clean (remember this initiative) and safe - a place that draws people in to visit.

The recently launched Best Bar None program which has individual business owners investing a little more time and effort to make going out at a night a safer and more rewarding experience is a perfect example of the great progress that is being made in our Centre City. And of course, there are so many other worthwhile initiatives and events that have strengthened us all at the very core (see a listing at calgary.ca/centrecity). 

So today it's time to celebrate a little. A fifth anniversary gathering is happening - a chance for everyone involved to look back over the past five years and spend a little time to acknowledge the projects and people who have worked to make our Centre City a move livable, thriving and caring place. It's also a chance to make some plans for the next five years.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi, Aldermen Druh Farrell and John Mar will be there to help recognize the efforts of those behind the projects. Check back tomorrow here for photos from the event. 

 

Best Bar None Launches in Calgary

Calgarians love a good night out, and we're fortunate to have so many fantastic bars and restaurants to choose from in our Centre City.

Now is a great time to take that experience to the next level by continuing to enhance the overall safety of going out at night. That's where a new voluntary program called Best Bar None (BBN) steps in.

Launched today, BBN, works to reduce alcohol-related violence in and around licensed venues. This safety initiative is firmly focussed on Calgary’s pubs, clubs, bars and lounges and everyone is invited to take part to help make the city’s nightlife safer and more enjoyable.

BBN is an accreditation and awards program that uses a system of assessment and awards to engage nightspots in responsible management and safe operations. To learn more about the program and also how your establisment can earn Best Bar None (BBN) status, check out this link: bestbarnone.ab.ca. 

Some Centre City team members were at the Bar None Launch event today (which by the way, was a packed room - lots of people inspired and invigorated by the BBN program). Here are a few photos we took (that's The City's Chief Compliance Officer Marc Halat at the podium): 

 

 

(Samples of BBN accreditation and awards)

This new program is a positive opportunity for all parties involved - a great way to build relationships amongst bar owners, licensees, law enforcement, industry partners and community groups; with the ultimate benefit of making a night out safe and fun for all Calgarians.

Safer nightlife means a more vibrant and inviting Centre City. That means everyone wins.

The Best Bar None program has already been launched in Edmonton. The Calgary Best Bar None program is led by Alberta Gaming Liquor Commission (AGLC) with the support of Calgary Police Services and also The City. 

 

'Tis the Season: Late Night Ride Home Stands

Hey - have you spotted one of these signs in the Centre City?

 

 

It's the sign for the the Late Night Ride Home Stands (designated areas where taxis can line-up and wait for customers). Twelve of them are located in the Centre City (downtown and surrounding neighbourhoods).

 

These taxi stands are conveniently located near restaurants, theatres and bars and are in operation every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night between the hours of 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. A map of stand locations is available at centrecitytalk.com (or see them below).

 

As the holiday season gets underway, The City of Calgary is reminding citizens they can catch a safe and convenient ride home at one of the Centre City’s Late Night Ride Home Stands.

  

We are also reminding Calgarians to pay close attention to parking signage to avoid parking in the Late Night Ride Home Stands. Drivers who park their cars in these taxi stands during operating hours will be ticketed and towed. By leaving these zones free for taxis, you help ensure Calgarians have a safe ride home.

 

This initiative is part of a larger effort being made by The City of Calgary to take a pro-active approach to ensure our Centre City continues to be a vibrant and safe place to work, visit, live and play during the evening and early morning hours.

The Late Night Ride Home Stand program is brought to you through the collaborative efforts of The City of Calgary, the taxi industry and the business community.

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.

Burger Inspiration

(Alley Burger truck shot by buzz.bishop)

We don't know the exact stats but we're gonna go out on a limb and say it's likely that you or someone you know has eaten or at least plans to sample an Alley Burger in the very near future. The Charcut restaurant-born Alley Burger Truck is just one of the many wildly popular mobile food stops in Calgary. These trucks that feed #yyc-ers on a daily basis are hugely exciting for our Centre City. They create a vibrancy on the street wherever they go and they bring people together from all over.

Now the idea of alley eating has spread to other locales. Check out this great article in the Globe and Mail about why concrete dining has become such a hit.

Calgary Designated Cultural Capital of Canada - 2012

In case you haven't heard, Calgary has officially been designated the Cultural Capital of Canada for 2012! 

Of course, something like this happens because of a whole bunch of dedicated Calgarians working together (for a year) to earn the privileged title. Great to see!

And being named the Cultural Capital of Canada means 2012 is our year to showcase all of the brilliant arts and culture and character that goes into making Calgary such a great place to call home. The appointment of this title means Canadian Heritage will supplement the $2 million dollar commitment that Calgary City Council has already made to make the year shine as much as possible. 

In case you haven't already stopped by the 2012 website make sure you do check it out. This is an opportunity for all Calgarians to come together to show the rest of the country all that we have to offer. Yay us! 

 

Urban Design Matters

 
Good urban design is a major contributor to the impressions that we are left with of cities.

Every two years, we recognize our city’s top urban design through the Mayor’s Urban Design Awards (MUDA). These awards celebrate the best of Calgary’s new urban design, landscape design and architecture, recognizing the contribution of all the consultants, developers, communities and owners who created them.

 
If you’ve travelled to other cities, you know that each leaves you with a different feeling about it. Some cities feel vibrant and alive – abuzz with lots of people, interesting places and unique characteristics. Other cities feel lifeless and dull – few people on the sidewalks and a lack of stand out features. You often know good urban design in cities when you see it and experience it.

“Urban design is the art of making places that are attractive, memorable and functional for the people that use them,” says David Down, The City of Calgary's coordinator of Urban Design & Heritage in Land Use Planning & Policy. “Sometimes this involves one particular building or space, but ideally, it is an area or district that has buildings and spaces that work together to make it safe, distinctive and functional. Good urban design creates distinctive and cherished places.”

We have many fantastic examples of good urban design in our Centre City. Some MUDA past winners include the Grand Theatre Rejuvenation, Banker’s Court and Eau Claire Plaza Redevelopment.

This year’s deadline for submissions is Thursday, September 15. There is still time to submit your projects. Details on categories and eligibility are available at calgary.ca/muda.

And next time you’re out for a stroll in the Centre City, see if you can find some of the special places in our city and tell us about them here – they don’t happen by accident, they’re the result of well planned, good urban design.

 

Take a (photo)Walk!

Calgary's Chinatown is home to buildings steeped in stories and wisdom, walls rich with colour and meeting spaces that offer some of the liveliest and most picturesque backdrops one could ever hope to find in our Centre City. Many of us drive or ride through Chinatown and notice these spots - but we need to stop and savour all the area has to offer. Now's your chance, thanks to an upcoming Worldwide Photowalk event set to be hosted in Chinatown.

Angela MacIsaac has offered to put together this photowalk as a way of taking part in the wildly popular annual event. A seasoned host, she's already lead plenty of Calgary-based photo walks (through the Twitter hashtag #yycphotowalk) over the past few years. Worldwide Photowalk is going into its fourth year and last year there were some 33 thousand participants from all over the globe. There are 50 spots available for specific local photowalk events and MacIsaac says her group is filling up quickly.

So if you are interested in taking part in this fun, social photo meet-up event then click here to read more. It's happening on the weekend of October 1st and 2nd 2011 and everyone will meet up at Sien Lok Park. After the event you can post some of your photos to the worldwide photowalk Flickr site and there you'll also be able to take a look at some of the shots that were taken in other parts  of this photogenic world of ours.

If you'd like to check out some of the pictures from last year's Worldwide Photowalk, click here.

To read more about the worldwide photowalk annual event click here. And remember, register soon before all those spots are taken.

 (photo by "Larry He's So Fine")

 

National Music Centre Being Honoured

We love a great story that involves something happening in our Centre City.

This one's about the much-anticipated National Music Centre in the East Village. We have just learned that the NMC has been named as the beneficiary of RBC's Canada Walk of Fame Inductee Charity Ball for this year. It means the National Music Centre will be recognized at this huge event for its significant cultural role - it's a place that's set to unite Canadians, their heritage and culture through music. 

(Artist's rendering of the NMC - for more images, click here to get to the NMC website)

To read more about the Ball, which is happening October 1st in Toronto, click here. To learn more about the National Music Centre click here.