sustainable calgary

VERSION 1.0 / Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Celi a Lee, M.E. De s

Active
Neighbourhoods

Active Neighbourhoods
Goals

Support walkable, bikeable and vibrant

communities
Improve health, mental health, environment
Pilot a participatory process of neighbourhood
analysis and citizen-led design, including
implementation
Research and Knowledge Sharing
2

Active Neighbourhoods
Outputs

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Participatory Community Analysis

Community Portrait
Professional Design Workshop
Design Selection Kiosk
Collaboration for Implementation
Contributions to Policy/ Practice
3

1. community mapping kiosk

Best Place to Waste an Entire Day

Best Place to have Random Convos
Best Place to Bird Watch
Best Place to go Lawn Bowling
Scary Place to Bike or Walk
I have a lot of Memories Here
Best Place to Play
Best Place to Bike
Perfect Place to Walk
Great place for a Bike Route
Focus on Pedestrian Safety Here
Great Place to Improve Lighting
Perfect Place to Build a Skating Rink 4
Perfect Place to put Walking Pathways

 2013 Citizen, Inc. Proprietary and confidential.

 2013 Citizen, Inc. Proprietary and confidential.

 2013 Citizen, Inc. Proprietary and confidential.

 2013 Citizen, Inc. Proprietary and confidential.

 2013 Citizen, Inc. Proprietary and confidential.

 2013 Citizen, Inc. Proprietary and confidential.

10

2. observation diaries

11

LOCATION OBSERVATION

Location
Time
11 AM to 12 PM
Friday, November 21, 2014

evdp631

Weather

Pedestrian Flow

Humidity
9C

Natasha DeSandi
Tae Kim
Geoff Noble
Rachelle Trovato

bridgeland market

38%

Bridgeland Market

observation:

Pedestrians
having difficulty
walking on icy
sidewalks and
crosswalks
no cyclists
no dog walkers

Mobility

tazza
restaurant

cars stopping
at the stop sign

modes of transit

Accessibility

43

387

112

174

accessible
areas
3

vehicular
realm
semi-public

Vehicles

Full Stops

Pedestrians

Rolling Stops

private
residence

Random Activities
crosses the
road with
2 grocery bags

carries a
yoga mat
while
texting

Activity Spots

hits car
door on
light post
illegally
parks her car

unloading
truck
leaves
the market with
take out

Customer Count

11AM

11:15AM

WHISTLING
11:15AM

BUS

11:45AM

AIRPLANE

11:30AM

11:45AM

Pedestrian Flow
Vehicular Flow

10%
90%

Greetings
Short Conversations
Long Conversations

1
2
4

12PM

BUS
LOUD TRUCK

Summary

61%
Hostile Vehicles
39%
2013 Citizen, Inc. Proprietary and confidential.
Friendly Vehicles

BUS

17

Noise

11AM

12PM

17

11:30AM

observation:

lack of street
furnitures on
the site;
the only long
stays were at the
market and the
restaurant

Vehicular Scale

11:15AM

JINGLING KEYS

short stays

11:45AM

16

99

11AM

11:30AM

Parked Cars

10

long stays

12PM

Short Stays
Long Stays

17
14

Lack of Human Rhythm

& Minimal Publicness

12

3. empathy walk

13

4. emotional mapping & walk audit

14

 2013 Citizen, Inc. Proprietary and confidential.

15

 2013 Citizen, Inc. Proprietary and confidential.

16

 2013 Citizen, Inc. Proprietary and confidential.

17

 2013 Citizen, Inc. Proprietary and confidential.

18

 2014 Sustainable Calgary.

19

 2013 Citizen, Inc. Proprietary and confidential.

20

 2013 Citizen, Inc. Proprietary and confidential.

21

Active Neighbourhoods Bridgeland

Emotional Stroll - Summary of Findings

Group Members:

Emotional Stroll Routes and Nodes

Emotional Gradients Across Study Area

McDougall Road @ 6 Street NE

Negative Zones

Positive Zones

McDougall Road @ 7 Street NE

EVDS 631

1 Ave NE
Observations

Bow Valley Road @ 11 Street

Observations

Observations

Observations
Recommendations
Recommendations

Recommendations

Recommendations

12 Street NE

Southeast Corner beside CNIB

Observations

Observations

Recommendations

Recommendations

General Recommendations

2013 Citizen, Inc. Proprietary and confidential.

22

EVDP 631 | Planning & Public Engagement | Dr. Noel Keough

MPlan 2015 | Natasha De Sandi, Edgard Farah, Aman Jhawer, Lauren Gagatek, Kenneth Law, Christian Schmitt, Rachelle Trovato | December 02, 2014

BRIDGELAND MATRIX

WALKING

BIKING

PEOPLE

CHILDREN

SENIORS

SAFETY

STREETSCAPE

ntre
nce Ce

Gradiant of Average Scores in Brigeland

e Scie
to th
t
i
Destination walk aud

Sector 2 walk audit

Sector 1 walk audit

D es

tina
tion

walk

to t
he
B

ow
tow
er

atio
stin
De

Bound

Sector 3 walk audit

ary walk audit along

the Bow River

nw
alk

aud
it to

C al
gar
y

Zo

Base Map Source: ESRI

Nodes Performance Over 5

> 3.5

2 - 3.4

<2
Sector Walk Audit Sector 1, October 24, 2014
3

3.1

2.5

2.7

2.6

2.7

2.3
2.1
5

2.6 / 5

2013 Citizen, Inc. Proprietary and confidential.

WALKING

BIKING

PEOPLE

CHILDREN SENIORS

SAFETY STREETSCAPE

23

5. business activity and survey

24

 2013 Citizen, Inc. Proprietary and confidential.

25

6. household survey
Active Neighbourhoods:
Household Survey
Participant information

EVDP 631

Andrew Cuthbert
Geneva Chaudary
Nathan Grivell
Nuzhat Butt
Geoff Noble
Chad Peters

Active Transportation

How easy is it to get around in your

community by walking?

How would you rate the level of walking

activity?

Neighbourhood Sectors

143 survey responses

What is the main reason someone might

choose not to bike in your neighbourhood?
Too much to carry

20%

Time

19%

Distance

20%

Weather

41%

Safety

21%

76% of residents
believe it is

very easy

to get around
the community by

Differences of Opinion in Bridgeland

walking

How easy is it to get around your

community by biking?

Sense of Community and Safety

How strong do you think the sense of
community is in Bridgeland?
I could count on people in my neighbourhood
for help in an emergency

What is the main reason

someone might choose
not to walk in your
neighbourhood?
What is the primary reason you choose
to get around by foot or bike?

My neighbourhood is a safe place to live

26

 2013 Citizen, Inc. Proprietary and confidential.

27

 2013 Citizen, Inc. Proprietary and confidential.

28

Activity Surveys
Active Neighbourhoods Canada
Community Portrait

Experience Maps

According to a 2014 household survey, Bridgeland

residents gave the following primary reasons for:

82%

of residents surveyed think it is

important or very important to
promote walking and biking in
their neighbourhood

Why they would choose to get around by foot or bike:

To get better exercise: 49%

BRIDGELAND-RIVERSIDE

Convenience: 19%

How easy is it to get around your community?

Better the environment: 12%

51%

74%

Why they might choose not to walk:

Weather, 46%
Very Easy

Distance, 34%

39%

Too much to carry, 26%

Somewhat
Difficult

25%

Why they might choose not to bike:

2015

8%
2%

1%

Weather, 41%

Walking

Easy for the

Most Part

Cycling

Very
Difficult

Traffic Safety, 21%

Too much to carry, 20%

Active Neighbourhoods Canada

How can the design of our communities
contribute to public health, wellness and
safety? Respond to traffic congestion?
Stimulate the economy? Work towards the
overall sustainability of our city? These are
questions that inspired the development of
Active Neighbourhoods Canada, a collaboration
between Sustainable Calgary, the Montreal
Urban Ecology Centre and the Toronto Centre
for Active Transportation.
Active Neighbourhoods Canada envisions
neighbourhoods that are liveable, vibrant,
and inviting; that encourage active modes of
transportation, such as walking and cycling; and
that re-imagine the way we share public space

particularly roads and pathways in order to

provide choices when it comes to transportation.

Bridgeland is a neighbourhood in flux,

experiencing substantial population growth, a
surge in multi-family housing developments, and
growing numbers of young children, millenials
and boomers. Across the river, the construction
of East Village will bring in thousands of new
people, and many new businesses. Currently,
it is home to many experiencing low-income
(29%), a high percentage of persons with
disabilities (30%), and a high percentage of
seniors (24%). It houses the Canadian National
Institute for the Blind (CNIB), several retirement
homes, two public schools,, daycares and the
Womens Centre. It boasts a wide array of
businesses, amenities and major destinations,
such as the Telus Spark Science Centre and
Calgary Zoo, but does not house a major
grocery store, which is identified as a major
challenge.

Bridgeland

Calgary

Safety

Social Connectivity

My neighbourhood is a safe place to live:

I regularly stop and talk with people in my

neighbourhood.

Population

5,962

1.1M

30%

Strongly Agree

29%

Strongly Agree

Sustainable Calgary is working alongside 4

communities in Alberta over 4 years to explore
these themes.

Seniors

24.0%

10.0%

63%

Slightly Agree

45%

Slightly Agree

Low-income

28.5%

14.2%

Living Alone

29.0%

10.0%

6%

Slightly Disagree

23%

Slightly Disagree

With the help of participatory urban planning

tools, communities will identify strengths
and weaknesses in their neighbourhoods,
explore design solutions and work towards
the implementation of at least one design
change within 2 years. Their experiences will
be shared with professionals, decisionmakers
and community organizations over the course
of the project to contribute to best practices in
participatory planning and sustainable urban
design.

Disability

29.5%

16.3%

1%

Strongly Disagree

5%

Strongly Disagree

Lone-parent Families

19.0%

15.0%

Active Neighbourhoods in Bridgeland

From the demolition of the General Hospital to
its cultural history, its diversifying population and
most recently the start-up of its Tool Lending
Library, Bridgeland is many places to many
people.

Population & Dwellings

Better street design is the #1 factor that would

influence Bridgelanders to walk or bike more.

Campbell Hill, Nose Creek, the Deerfoot, the

Bow River and Memorial Drive - Bridgeland is
a nook in the core of Calgary, with a smalltown feel. Because of its geography, many
of its establishments rely on local residents,
and cater to this clientele. We want the
restaurant to be a neighbourhood hub, and
to feel like an extension of our own kitchen,
says one business owner. Similarly, residents
have expressed a desire to make Bridgeland
an extension of their backyards and living
rooms a neighbourhood where they can
sit, play, hang out. Developing connections
to other neighbourhoods, for example by
developing better connections across the
river, is nonetheless a priority for residents and
businesses alike.

75+
65-74
55-64
45-54
35-44
25-34
20-24
15-19
5-14
0-4

59% of Bridgeland residents chose the

neighbourhood for its proximity to downtown.

Walkscore
Men
Women
Calgary
14%

7%

Men Women

7%

14%

According to walkscore.com,
Bridgeland-Riverside has the following overall
scores:

68

63

Walkability

Transit

Between 2009 and 2014, Bridgeland increased its 0-4 population by 104%,
compared to 24% for Calgary as a whole.

Dwelling Units

28%

5%

Total dwellings:
2,954

Single Family Home

Townhouse

7%
Converted
(suites)

39% of dwelling units in

Bridgeland are owneroccupied, compared to 69%
for Calgary as a whole.

Hotspots

3%
Duplex

57%

17

Apartment

18
20

Mode of Transport
Drove
Alone

Public
Transit

Walk

Bicycle

Work from
Home

Carpool,
Passenger

11

12
22

13

10

7
4

50%

67%

26%

18%

14%

5%

3%

1%

3%

2%

2%

2%

1%

3%

Priority areas have unique identities, patterns

and issues. Most resident feedback and
opportunities for improvement centered around
Southeast Bridgeland, the Couplet, and the Core.

clearing on public land; (8) sense of safety at

Bridgeland LRT; (9) unpleasant pedestrian/cyclist
access to Zoo & Inglewood; (10) zoning.

Association, single-family and multi-family

housing, adjacent to two public schools, and key
access point to downtown for commuters.

Opportunities:

Issues:

1. Southeast Bridgeland

(1) Redevelopment & rezoning of institutional land

to incorporate more mixed use is currently being
explored; (2) Improving quality of access to LRT &
core via 9th Street; (4) at-grade commercial near
LRT to improve vibrancy/safety; (3) pedestrian
snow routes for seniors; (4) walking/cycling paths
along Memorial; (5) traffic calming & pedestrian
crossings on 12th Ave NE; (6) creating gateway
to Bridgeland that embraces the southeast;
(7) enhance connectivity from Centre St to
McDougall Road.

(1) Crosswalks (safety, convenience, enjoyment);

(2) accessibility, including inconsistency of
curb cuts; (3) winter accessibility poor snow
clearing on public land; (4) traffic speed; (5)
legibility little sense of entering Bridgeland; (6)
disconnection from rest of commercial strip on
1st Ave NE; (7) lack of bicycle infrastructure into
downtown, Renfrew and Crescent Heights; (8)
illicit activity.

Home to retirement homes, lswaths of green

space, the CNIB, apartments, medical centres,
and the Christine Meikle School[R1] , and
gateway to the Zoo and Telus Spark Science
Centre, and Bridgeland LRT.

The Bowl

The Core

West
Riverside

14

15

21

Carpool,
Driver

Priority Areas

The
Couplet

16

19

A community bordered by several natural

and man-made barriers the bluff, Tom

Trail
Side

A mix of walking tours and engagement

activities led to the map above, which
documents how pedestrians tended to feel
in different parts of the neighbourhood. The
trend was for the commercial and public core
(including the playing fields and community
centre) to be spaces where people felt safe and
happy. The experience of participants tended
to turn towards bad feelings as they made their
way to the neighbourhood edges. The reasons
given for feeling bad mostly related to traffic
safety or a sense of isolation (security). The
reasons give for feeling good tended to be
related to the presence of other people, activity,
and things to do.

Issues:

East
Riverside

Bridgeland Community Portrait

(1) Traffic safety: high-speed traffic on 12th St

NE with no pedestrian crossings; (2) lack of
amenities: coffee shops, convenience stores or
grocery stores; (3) accessibility to 1st Avenue,
esp. with steep hills; (4) distances between
buildings; (5) feelings of isolation by residents;
(6) legibility: little sense of having entered
Bridgeland via 12th St NE; (7) winter snow

2. Couplet
Home to businesses and restaurants, the
Womens Centre, the Islamic Information Society
of Calgary, and the Radha Mahdav Cultural

Opportunities:

(1) Mixed-use redevelopment at 1st Ave & 4th

St NE; (2) bicycle lanes slated; (3) leveraging
universal design and winter design principles;
(4) traffic-calming; (5) crime prevention through
environmental design (CPTED).

Street not legible for pedestrians, bikes &

vehicles where to go next?

12

Good vibes, especially related to Farmers

Market.

Right-of-way confusing.

13

No crosswalk, fast traffic, and many

destinations, including schools, daycare, a
church and a bus stop.

Well-lit & business open late. Makes

pedestrians feel secure.

14

Residents feel good here; potential to

make even more use of this space.

Confusing 5-way intersection.

15

Long dark stretch feels unsafe at night.

General feelings of desolation.

16

Feels secluded and unsafe.

Can feel isolated and unsafe; make more

vibrant.

Pedestrian crosswalk + high vehicle

speed. Vehicle access needed here?

17

Unsafe crosswalk. Curving road creates

blind spot & hill increases vehicle speed.

Where do pedestrians walk?

18

8
9

Short one-way stretch near the Childrens

Cottage is confusing. Cars/trucks often
drive the wrong way.

Awkward crossing, inaccessible in the

winter; development projects in the works
nearby.

19

Good vibes.

20

Upgrade bus shelter + better lighting.

21

Safety concerns, illicit activity.

22

Traffic & personal safety concerns.

3. The Core
Home to Bridgelands commercial core, and
adjacent to the Bridgeland-Riverside Community
Association and park.
Issues

(1) Traffic speed; (2) cut-through traffic at rush

hour; (3) lack of public seating, urban furniture,
bus stop shelters; (4) lighting gaps; (5) gaps
in commercial strip; (6) bylaws seating &
sandwich boards; (7) legibility: beginning &
ending of commercial core, access to LRT.
Opportunities

(1) BRCA-owned land along 9th St NE; (2) pilots/

pop-ups that circumvent cumbersome bylaws;
(3) attracting further development & tax dollars
via investment in urban design & neighbourhood
branding; (4) opportunities to develop
Bridgeland-Riverside Community Centre.
Riverside Community Centre.

10

11

Steep hill makes access to 1st Ave difficult,

particularly for seniors.
Bridgeland Riverside Community Centre;
site of old General Hospital.

29

Bridgeland Community Portrait

30

NORTH

Bridgeland-Riverside
Urban Design
Invitational

2015 URBAN DESIGN

INVITATIONAL
Thank-you for participating in the first ever
Bridgeland - Riverside urban design invitational.

Guidebook
Project Background
Active Neighbourhoods has been engaging
Bridgeland-Riverside since July 2014 to find out the
good, the bad and the meh of its public spaces,
engaging over 600 residents and business owners
and 22 organizations.

Bridgeland-Riverside Oblique View No Buildings

The 2015 Urban Design Invitational is the local

design phase of the Active Neighbourhoods project.
We have invited you to help us formulate a series
of design schemes that we can take back to the
neighbourhoods citizens throughout August.

We hope to hold similar events in the future, both

for this community and others. Please take a
moment to provide some feedback to help us
understand what went well, and what we
could improve.

Next time we hold this kind of event,

what would you suggest we
do differently?

Thank you for giving us your time and skills today!

Map of Today
9:15. Meet at Bridgeland Market, get coffees.
9:30. Depart on walk.
9:30 - 11:45. Walk through the neighbourhood,
scout out hotspots (see back page), sketch, talk,
photograph. Find cover, chat with locals. Enjoy the
place.

1:30 - 3:00. Guest appearance of a troupe of

bicycling dutch students. We will send them off on
a brief bridgeland design adventure; they can also
try to gather specific information required by the
teams.
3:30. Groups give informal presentations of their
design schemes.

11:45 - 12:15. Structured discussion around

afternoon design sites, walk to Black Pig Bistro.

4:00. Move from BPB to new cocktail bar: Canibale.

12:15 - 1:00. Lunch.

4:00 - 4:45. Let us buy you a drink. Chat together

about the schemes, and produce one more brief
thought/sketch/detail/diagram.

1:00 - 3:30. Work in self-assembling groups to

develop design schemes for a collection of chosen
sites/problems identified during the morning walk.

What do you think we should keep

the same?

4:45 - onward. We may continue to drink and eat at

Canibale, informally. You are welcome to stay and
join us, stay and do your own thing, or head on out.

Other Info
Please e-mail all pictures, photographs of small
sketches and notes, and other digital material to:

urbandesign.yyc@gmail.com

2015 Urband Design Invitational

If you are lost or cannot find [a pencil / the group /

your drink] you can reach Matt at 403.617.0234 or
Celia at 403.399.1707.

31

2015 Urban Design Invitational

32

2015 Urban Design Invitational

33

2015 Urban Design Invitational

34

2015 Urban Design Invitational

35

Bridgeland Design Selection Kiosk

36

Bridgeland Design Selection Kiosk

37

Active Neighbourhoods

Bridgeland-Riverside
Design Schemes
DEE
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R E N F R E W
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T O M C A M P B E L L S
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12

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4
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C R E S C E N T
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Br id gela nd
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1 2 th S t r e e t
Bridge

S T .

F O R T

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R I V
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C A L G A R Y

V I L L A G E

Project Description

I N G L E W O O D
9T

AVEN

UE

YOU ARE HERE

Citizen
Engagement

Scheme
Development

Design
Selection

gather values
map assets & issues
build support

assess potentials
generate possibility
tell new stories

inspire and motivate

arrange priorities
build support

How can the design of our communities

contribute to public health, wellness and
safety? Respond to traffic congestion?
Stimulate the economy? Work towards the
overall sustainability of our city? These are
questions that inspired the development
of Active Neighbourhoods Canada, a
collaboration between Sustainable Calgary,
the Montreal Urban Ecology Centre, and the
Toronto Centre for Active Transportation.

ET
RE
ST

TH

S
R I C K
P A T

W
B O
E L

DRIVE

12

RIAL
MEMO

N D
I S L A

Active Neighbourhoods has been working

with Bridgeland-Riverside since July 2014
to find out the good, the bad and the meh
of its public spaces. Since it begain, this
process has engaged over 600 residents and
business owners and 22 organizations.

Bridgeland Design Selection Kiosk

38

Bridgeland Design Selection Kiosk

39

THANK YOU !
Celia Lee, M.E.Des
Sustainable Calgary
http://www.sustainabilecalgary.org
celia@sustainablecalgary.org