Who is ward 9?
COMING SOON!
GREAT DIVERSITY MAKES GREAT CANADIAN NEIGHBOURHOODS
In 2010, Calgary achieved a step-change in its evolution into a Canadian city of the future. The obvious indicator was the politics-in-full-sentences election of Naheed Nenshi, the first Muslim mayor of a major North American city. Undeniably, Calgary was more progressive, more diverse, and more future-focused than the stereotypes suggested. But I believe the more meaningful shift that occurred that year was that, for the first time in the City’s multi-decade annual Citizen Satisfaction Survey, more Calgarians agreed with the statement that ‘Calgary is a great place to make a life’ than agreed that ‘Calgary is a great place to make a living.’ Calgary was no longer the frontier where one came to make their fortune before returning home. Instead, Calgary was home, and our increasing culturally diverse population was driving that shift.
As the Ward 9 City Councillor, I am often asked to describe my constituency to all kinds of people in all manner of circumstances. I proudly say: Ward 9 comprises the working neighbourhoods and landscapes of East Calgary that built the city we know today; and due to its diversity of places and people, it is actively building the city we are becoming.
And while this is true in a physical sense - our culturally rich neighbourhoods and our vibrant industrial landscapes are engines of Calgary’s established and emerging economies - it is perhaps even more true of our people. Calgary has never been more diverse than we are today - we are an outstanding example of Canada’s world-leading successfulness as a pluralistic society.
As we honour the diverse and exciting place we are fortunate to call home, we also must turn a critical eye towards the gaps between the diversity of who we are, and the cultural expressions that dominate our assumptions; what do we need to do, moving forward, to create a city more reflective of who we are and who we want to become? How do we hold our government, our institutions, and ourselves to account?
We are the stories we tell ourselves, and this map tells a different story about who we are. ‘Who is Ward 9’ serves to celebrate the incredible people that live, work, and volunteer in East Calgary. Through their stories, cultural indicators, working landscapes, and demographics, we can see a more fulsome picture of the epicenter of this change.
Ward 9 is the model where Calgary lives together in community.
Gratitude + Acknowledgement:
Several years ago, we were introduced to the work of Dr. Jared Wesley and his team at Common Ground. Based out of the University of Alberta, part of Dr. Wesley research includes conducting a variety of focus groups and activity-based interviews, collecting data and information about who Albertans think we are, and contrasting those ideas against the reality of who we have actually become. Our heartfelt appreciation is extended to Dr. Wesley and the Common Ground team for sharing their impactful research and inspiring us to create this map. commongroundpolitics.ca
Additionally, thank you to Jaqueline Puff, Research Analyst at the Calgary Public Library. Many of the demographics used throughout this map are a result of the community data Jackie and the Calgary Library generously expanded upon and shared with us. We couldn’t have done it without their help.
Map Artist + Designer: Jarett Sitter