the ward 9 dream network
GREAT NEIGHBOURHOODS MAKE A GREAT CITY
As a city-builder, a City Councillor, a father, and a Calgarian, it is the guiding principle that defines my life’s work. Over the past 20 years, through community advocacy, research, professional practice, and public service, I’ve watched with satisfaction as this principle has moved from the obscurity of expert knowledge, to the lifestyle aspiration of a growing majority of Calgarians.
Great Neighbourhoods (in order to be great, they must be places for everyone!) are balancing acts between people and place. When well balanced, they are remarkably enduring engines of culture and commerce, of joy, and the fulfilment of human potential. A critical element of this balance is not just within the neighbourhood itself, but in the relationships between neighbourhoods and their collective contributions to the great city.
As a laboratory for this work, Ward 9 is fantastic. It is a city within a city. It is a landscape of great East Calgary neighbourhoods and the closely proximate working landscapes that built our city: west of the Bow River is Historic East Calgary; to the east is International East Calgary and Ogden; and east of Stoney Trail is Belvedere. And just as it has historically, it is in Ward 9 that the new economies and cultures that will define the next chapters of Calgary’s life, are emerging.
As Calgary navigates a historical crossroads, driven by the global shift away from the traditional energy sources that have been central to our success thus far, we have a great opportunity to unabashedly build upon our strengths, envision our best future, and chart our course towards that future together. The concept of this map emerged from our semi-annual Great Neighbourhoods strategic planning sessions: We wanted a visual tool that would tell the story of our beloved East Calgary and that could serve as both a conversational and artistic piece to help us envision our best future. We also want it to act, more literally, as the chart that will point us how to get there. So, we present this map, drawn by beloved Ward 9 illustrator, Sam Hester, as the base-layer that we hope will provoke and support all manner of future conversations.
We knew the first of these conversations had to be important, perhaps controversial, and foundational. We needed something to illustrate the bursting potential of Ward 9 neighbourhoods and that builds the best possible relationships between them. We wanted this conversation to be topical, to build on our strengths and competitive advantages, to increase accessibility and participation in the great neighbourhood life, that responds to the global pandemic and prepares us for a resilient future, all while mitigating and adapting to the ongoing effects of climate change. Thus, active mobility was the obvious choice.
In Ward 9, you only need to look at line-ups outside of neighbourhood establishments such as B&P Cycle in Forest Lawn, Bike, Bike in Inglewood, or Bike and Brew in Bridgeland, to see that even more Calgarians are embracing active mobility. This is a good news story, but it is also tempered by the ongoing struggle of shifting Calgary’s priorities from an unsustainable and overwhelming focus on moving cars to the Great Neighbourhoods’ mission of dynamic economies, social vibrancy, and inclusion.
Every time I get on my bike, I cannot help but think of my 8-year-old son, who has been cycling since he was 4, and am reminded of the potential of unspeakable loss as he learns to navigate his city by bike. His safety, and the tragedies involving too many lives lost, is the reason I’ve become the fervent, active modes champion I am today.
Calgary, and more specifically, Ward 9, has seen a significant increase in active commuters over the last 10 years. It is also home to some of the best, most interconnected multi-use pathways in the city, including access to many neighbourhoods, employment hubs, parks, recreational facilities and cultural landmarks. As our neighbourhoods evolve, we have to meet this growth with a comprehensive and thoughtfully delivered active modes network.
Smart, economic and environmentally sustainable growth includes multi-modal transportation that supports walking, cycling, public transit, and reduced reliance on automobiles. Regardless of where we live, work, learn, or play, young children, teens, seniors, women, parents with infants, those with diverse mobility needs, or even just a guy like me riding down the street, all deserve access to safe, sustainable, accessible, and affordable modes of active transportation.
This map depicts our already amazing active modes network, the projects I’m proud of that the city is actively delivering now, and the missing links that we must turn our advocacy towards. Our objective is to deliver The Dream Network for all ages, all abilities, all the time.
What pathways do you use today? What are you looking forward to? What are we missing? And most importantly, what parts of the Dream Network will you work with your neighbours and your City Councillor to make a reality?
Take a deep dive, and let us know!
Illustrations + Graphic Design by Sam Hester