CentreCity

Wayfinding in our Centre City

 

 

Wayfinding is the next best thing to having a  guided tour of the city by a proud Calgarian. And the good news is that The City of Calgary is working on a wayfinding system for our Centre City!

What is Wayfinding?

It's an intuitive and simple set of signs that connect a common "look, language and logic." This wayfinding system will highlight key attractions in our Centre City for visitors and Calgarians - anyone who lives, works or plays here that wants to explore.

A Great Way to Tell a City's Story

The City’s Graham Gerylo has been working on the wayfinding program. He explains, "What we're looking at is developing a comprehensive program - a unified way of communicating all of those great places we have in our Centre City - including parks, shopping districts, art venues, +15 routes, landmarks, etc. - in a consistent and recognizable way. It’s a way to enhance the experience of visiting the area."

Gerylo points out that this wayfinding system will bring some high quality architectural signage to the street level - to those who want a clear idea of what's around them - of what's easy to get to by foot, bike or public transit.

 

Sustainable Signage

The signs will be appealing to the eye (they have a clean modern look and feel); they will also be built to last and to endure our temperamental weather. On top of that, they'll be designed so they're easy to update content-wise which is obviously a smart sustainable move.

The idea is that the cost of the wayfinding signs will be returned  in visitor dollars spent in our Centre City. Gerylo notes, "We will have confident and comfortable visitors that are exploring the core more, spending more as they're exploring and leaving Calgary with a positive and memorable visitor experience." He adds that this translates to those visitors going home to share their great experiences with others: "And you know, they might not say the signs made the experience for them but the signs definitely will have helped them achieve that experience...so certainly there's a large return in investment component there."

 

 

Looking Ahead

Another interesting aspect to this proposed wayfinding system is that there are myriad tech possibilities that can be built in the future to complement the information.

Gerylo says, "You can use this same content if you are looking to develop a geocache app, for instance. ...and because the artwork is available, different groups may be able to access this information to create, say, a mobile shopping application and start to identify specialty shops on key streets in Centre City." So the opportunity is there for others to grab that data and start to create their own wayfinding communications which only adds to the whole positive CC experience.

Gerylo says the hope is to have the signs in place in time for most of the 2012 Cultural Capital celebrations in our city this coming summer. Calgary is the Cultural Capital of Canada this year and that means visitor numbers are expected to increase. It's also the Calgary Stampede's 100th birthday. Gerylo says they'd like to start putting some of the signs up by June.

 Let us know what you think of this idea. Leave us a comment if you have a moment.

High-Fives for Being Fifth Most Livable City!

(photo by Stephenccwu)

We've always heard talk from folks all over who think Calgary is a pretty amazing city in which to live...and now it's being confirmed: turns out we're the fifth greatest city in the world to live and we're proud of it!

The Economist Intelligence Unit says we ranked fifth out of 140 cities in their livability survey this year. We're in good company with Toronto (4th) and Vancouver (3rd) just ahead of us; Vienna takes 2nd place and Melbourne takes first. 

Great news for us all. Let's pat each other on the back because after all, it takes great people to make a great city. What do you think is our secret to being such a livable city? We'd love to hear your thoughts so leave a comment when you have a moment. 

To read the full breakdown of the livability rankings, click here. For GlobalTV's news report, click here. 

And On the Topic of Bikes...

Dust off your sparkly silver scooter helmet - it's that time of year again!  The Calgary Parking Authority has opened up some special 2-wheeled parking spots for the legions of motorbike and scooter operators who are living and commuting in our Centre City.  

 

Over the spring and summer months, there are approximately 75 on-street parking stalls specifically set aside for motorcycles until the fall.  

You can find the spots at various locations: 

*3 Street S.W. south of 8 Avenue

*3 Street S.W. south of 2 Avenue

*7 Street S.W. north of 9 Avenue

*4 Avenue S.W. west of 5 Street

*1 Street S.E. north of 4 Avenue

Cars aren't allowed - neither are horse drawn carriages - just motorcyles and scooters. It'll cost you $2.50/hour up to $8 and on Saturdays, just $0.75/hour to a maximum of $2.50. See? It pays to ride a lean, mean, (and green) motorbike-machine!  

If you'd like more information or to see a full map of the designated parking locations, check out www.calgaryparking.com.

Do you use a scooter or motorbike to get around the centre city? Let us know what you ride and why like to use it to commute. 

New Approaches to How We Commute

  

 (photo by Jacek.NL)

Slow is the new fast.  That's the gospel according to Dutch mobility and public transport expert Paul van de Coevering.  And he wants to get the message across loud and clear during his visit to Calgary this week.  

Van de Coevering is in town to lead a number of talks focused on alternative approaches to commuting. He'll also provide an in-depth interactive presentation in which he will address more traffic-related and city planning topics. We heard a quick bit of his interview on CBC radio's The Calgary Eyeopener this morning and caught the bug - he's definitely an inspiring and optimistic speaker when it comes to looking at how we get around the city. He made us all want to get those bikes in for their spring tune-ups. He urges us to adopt a new philosophy in our day to day travels. He wants commuters to slow down, take their time, and approach getting around town with a different set of expectations. He also wants city planners to think about changing up how signs and lights are placed (as in, maybe just not have as many or ANY at all) -- just one of the many radical ideas he brings to Calgary from his home in the Netherlands.

If you missed his interview, you have a chance to catch him TODAY between 10:30 - 2:30, Paul van de Coevering will present his interactive workshop "Slow is the New Fast" at the Delta Bow Valley.  The event requires registration along with a fee of $49 and this includes a lunch.  For more information on this event, click here.  

 
Do you plan on attending this event (or maybe you caught him last night)?  If you do, we'd love to hear from you - check back here afterwards and let us know what you thought of his ideas. Which of the more drastic approaches that he suggested, stuck with you? Do you think Calgary could adopt any of his suggested radical changes?  Leave us a comment if you can.   

In the meantime, some great commuter-inspired reading:  

http://bikecalgary.org/

http://www.calgarycommute.ca/saa/ *don't forget our annual commuter challenge is coming up at the end of next month!

http://bikecommutetips.blogspot.com/ *a really cool bike commuter tip blog 

http://www.ski-epic.com/amsterdam_bicycles/ *a thread on a blog of 82 bikes photographed in 73 minutes in Amsterdam.  So cool! 

http://planningpool.com/2010/03/tech/social-media-transit-fun/ *an article about making public transit more of a fun, interactive experience with the help of Twitter, etc. 

Calgary Carpool information

 

 

 

 

West LRT Construction - Small Pain For Enormous Gain

We're hearing words like "headache", "congestion", "gridlock", "lengthy delays" and so on in the media coverage of the West LRT roadwork which kicked off this week in Calgary.  But it's important to also look ahead to 2012 when the dust has settled - to envision the outcome of all this work and street closures and detours and slow-going.   

 
The West LRT project will mean more freedom for Calgarians, better traffic flow and increased transportation sustainability (check out the City's amazing video of the plans here). This new 8 kilometer line will connect the Centre City with the westerly part of our city (all the way to 69th Street SW) via two major routes. And did you know the last time a light rail transit line was built in Calgary was before the '88 Winter Olympics (the University line)? That's a long time ago. Calgary has grown exponentially since then and this West LRT line will be a welcome addition upon its completion. Here is The City of Calgary's dedicated website to the West LRT project - it's a great place to keep up to date on lane closures, suggested alternate routes, building timeline info, and all other news surrounding its construction.  

Now about those traffic headaches surrounding the West LRT build..here are a few things you can do to prevent them: 

1/  Plan ahead by reading up on the West LRT site for the latest on road closures - plan for delays especially during peak hours. Keep in mind westbound Bow Trail is down to two lanes until fall 2011 and in mid-March, 17th Avenue S.W. will be reduced to four lanes - two in each direction until fall 2011.  

2/  Find alternate routes and share them with friends - in doing so, maybe you could start up a carpool group in your community to help reduce the number of cars on the roads.  You could aim to leave later or earlier when heading to work or school so that your commute is not during peak travel time. 

3/  Check out Twitter when you can for updates from real commuters. When we did a quick search of "West LRT", quite a few posts came up.  As the days progress in this project, there will surely be more frequent, regular updates from fellow drivers and cyclists.  Maybe you'll find great ideas for alternate routes this way.  

4/  Speaking of bikes...dust yours off!  Ride, run, walk when and if you can.Take the bus a few days a week - leave the headaches to someone else.  

5/  Stay informed - sign up for updates on the West LRT website.  

6/  Keep in touch here.  If you have any tips you want to share with fellow commuters heading in or out of the Centre City while this project is going on, leave us a comment. Maybe we can get a productive dialogue going here as well.  

Centre City Maps Changing

The Centre City is sporting its first, spiffy new outdoor map! Since the weather was kind enough to cooperate this week, the City had a chance to put up the first new and updated sign.

You can see it up close and in person at the NE corner of 3rd Avenue and 7th Street SW in Eau Claire. Here's what the new map looks like: 

What you will see on these new maps: Bow Tower, Eighth Avenue Place, and much more!  

The City of Calgary's +15 Coordinator, Ray Ference, is overseeing the new map project. He says the remainder of the signs (there are 14 in total) will be updated over the course of the next three weeks, weather permitting. So keep your eyes peeled for these improvements in the Centre City and let us know what you think.  

And hey, here are a few links to some other resources to help you explore the Centre City:

- The +15 walkway system is currently equipped with interactive maps of downtown Calgary, with a building locator and information locations. Pick-up a pocket version at the Municipal Building. 

- Log onto Calgary.ca, Calgary Downtown Association, Tourism Calgary or Discover Calgary 

- Use Google Maps or Map Quest

Art of Transportation

(T-Centralen, Stockholm - photo via flickr) 

We stumbled upon this awe-inspiring subway blog this week and wanted to share it with you.  Underground subway tunnels are often depicted as the dark or soul-less danger-caves of New York's "The Warriors" era.  But this blog highlights some of the most architecturally and visually stunning subway stations around the world. They are stations and tunnels that work to engage the population.  Form and function, art and inspiration are what drive these designs.  My favourites are the Georg-Brauchle ring station, the Bund Sightseeing tunnel in Shanghai and the Iidabashi station.  What are yours?  Can you envision this kind of design in our own CTrain stations of the future?  

The Calm Before the Green (and blue, red and white) Storm...

The finishing touches are being made in Calgary's Centre City to ensure the estimated 15 - 20 thousand visitors to calgary are well-entertained before, during and after the big Grey Cup Championship game.   

Events over the coming days range from free pancake breakfasts to gala affairs and everything in between - and of course then there's the actual game.  

Local musicians, artists and designers will be featured in the Grey Cup festivities and it's pretty much guaranteed there's something for everyone.  

Enmax Illuminate Calgary is the highly anticipated light installation display set to run November 27th and 28th (5 - 11 p.m.).  People who work and live in the centre city have likely had a chance to watch a bit of the set up of the exhibit (with a modicum of bewilderment, no doubt!).  Even if you're not a football fan - you MUST try to get out to see this interactive and awe-inspiring light art display. 

   

World's Greenest City?

You may have already heard about this - Vancouver's Mayor introducing a plan to make his city the world's greenest by 2020. It's ambitious. Is it achievable? Check out some of the details here in this Vancouver Sun article by Gerry Bellett.  
The Vancouver Sun

Gridlock. Meet Greenspace.

A pedestrian plaza in the middle of Times Square. Separate bike lanes. Efficient, high-speed bus lines. Streets turned into temporary parks. It's people over cars in New York City. And this woman is leading the charge. Check out the article by writer Susan Adams at Forbes.com, it's an inspiring read.