Archive
Voice your input for the island
CMLC is currently hosting the second out of three public input survey’s to help in drafting the St. Patrick’s Island Master Plan. I encourage all to read below and complete the survey, all while possibly being rewarded for your efforts.
“Participate in our second public survey and be entered to win one of three $100 gift certificates to the River Cafe.
St. Patrick’s Island needs you. This 30-acre island is currently one of the least used parks in Calgary and we want to know how you’d like to see that changed. Situated in the Bow River and adjacent to the Calgary Zoo this small island is ready for a new life and that is where you come in.
As part of the master plan process the St. Patrick’s Island Master Plan team is committed to public engagement and understanding what is important to all Calgarians. For the past six weeks we have conducted a series of public consultation events, including an online survey, two stakeholder World Cafe sessions, a display at Fort Calgary on Canada Day and Idea Studios on Princes Island and St. Patrick’s Island.
This is the second of three surveys planned as part of the master plan process to capture the imagination, ideas and opinions of Calgarians. The images you will see within this survey are examples of what is possible on the island. You will be asked to prioritize your preference on a series of images depicting a wide array of activities and designs.
The survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete. Once completed you can enter to win one of three $100 gift cards to River Cafe*.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/small_island2
Your input is vital and we appreciate your time in completing this survey. This survey will remain open until September 6 at 11:59pm. * Full contest details online.
Through a competitive RFP process, Stantec Consulting has been retained to assist CMLC with the master plan for St. Patrick’s Island and the associated public participation program. “
For more details, please visit calgarymlc.ca/island or call Terry Koch, Public Participation Consultant, at Stantec (403) 716-8298.
East Village is being developed by CMLC – passionate,
experienced placemakers who inspire communities to
build, grow and believe. calgarymlc.ca
Downtown Condos for the low-income?
No parking. No fancy finishes. No costly marketing program. No speculators. No one who isn’t willing to do some building maintenance.
That’s the condo experiment that one Vancouver developer is trying in an effort to build housing in the city priced low enough that a couple working minimum-wage jobs could afford it. Read more about it here
Secondary suites not sweet enough for city council
Brent Constantin
News Editor
July 22, 2010
The Students’ Union’s hope of getting secondary suites on city hall’s agenda was dashed July 19, after council voted against reconsidering the issue. Alderman Joe Connelly brought forward the new proposal drafted by the SU and the Urban Calgary Students’ Association.
SU vice-president external Hardave Birk hoped the motion to reexamine the issue would get the 10 votes needed. It got eight.
“Obviously we’re unhappy that it wasn’t voted to be reconsidered,” said Birk. “We had the support of eight aldermen for reconsideration, but that wasn’t quite enough.”
“I’m a little bit angry,” said UrbanCSA vice-president external Andrew Sedor, adding other major post-secondary institutions also supported the proposal. “It’s a large chunk of the city that a lot of the aldermen didn’t listen to.”
A City planner is answering questions on Reddit
Reddit has an interesting section IAMA/AMA. In this section people offer answers regarding certain expertise they may have. Today, a city planner of a >150,000 person city is answering any questions you may have!
You can read about it here: IAmA City Planner for a city of >150k in southwestern USA
Secondary Suite Vote in Calgary
Last night UrbanCSA’s Secondary Suite proposal made it to council. Because council had already debated on secondary suites at previous council meetings, the motion needed 10 votes to again be debated; it got 8.
Members of council in favor of reconsideration were Bronconnier, Ceci, Connelly, Farrell, Hawkesworth, McIver, Pincott, Stephenson.
Against were Chabot, Colley-Urquhart, Fox-Mellway, Hodges, Jones, Mar, Lowe.
Without 10 votes, the debate couldn’t even take place. If the vote hadn’t been a reconsideration, the motion would have passed.
We thank the members of council that either took time to meet with us or voted in favor of the proposal. The aldermen that we met with (with the exception of 1 or 2) understood how the new proposal tackled common secondary suites issues such as parking and was different then the past debates in council. Then there were other aldermen who decided not to even respond to our emails or calls and then voted against the proposal most likely not knowing what it was really about (We do not thank these people).
The idea is still alive and UrbanCSA, SU and other educational institutions will continue to push until a solution is found and implemented for affordable housing for students.
I think Tom Howard put it quite nice:
“In other news … how cool is this? A bunch of students independently drafted a motion in their own free time and had it tabled at Council: whether you agree with it or not, when was the last time you can remember this happening? Irrespective of the fact that the motion was defeated, this should surely reflect positively on the tenacity and hard work of the students involved.”
I hear that train a comin’
Ever wonder how train tracks get laid? Here is a video!
Live music on the C-Train!
For the next week, in celebration of Calgary’s true heritage, that being a provider of great folk music (not cowboys), Calgary Transit in partnership with The Calgary Folk Festival will be hosting live performances on the C-Train! The Music will begin at 9:30 every weekday on both lines in the middle car. Performers include Calgary institutions including Steve Pineo and Dojo Workhorse.
More details are available here
http://www.calgarytransit.com/html/folk_festival_ctrain_2010.html
Help Support Secondary Suites In Calgary
UrbanCSA has been working with the SU on a proposal for an amendment to the City of Calgary Land Use Bylaw 1P2007, that would allow secondary suites as a permitted use for RC-1 and R-C2 houses within 400 metres of an LRT station, along with a parking relaxation. UrbanCSA and the SU have presented the policy document to various Aldermen, city departments, community associations and other groups.
And good news! Alderman and Mayoral Candidate Joe Connelly is bringing the idea to city council!
Click here to learn more help support the proposal. I know from personal experience a single letter can make a difference in Calgary’s future. We got the policy to council, now its your turn to help support it.
It is important to note that if Alderman Connelly’s motion passes, it means that the topic will be studied by the city; not that it will go into effect.
Click the above link and help change your city for the better!
UrbanCSA's Secondary Suite Policy Document
James Howard Kunstler Dissects Suburbia
I had the chance of going to a James Howard Kunstler lecture a few years ago. The talk he gave was fairly similar to this one… except almost more doomsday-ish. Though I don’t agree with everything he says he does bring up some good debate.
He is also one of the most entertaining speakers I have ever seen.
Jarrett Walker’s Field Guide to Transit Debates
If you plan to be in the Vancouver-ish area on August 4th, you may want to check out this FREE lecture…
A FIELD GUIDE TO TRANSIT DEBATES
August 4, 7 pm
Venue: SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
Admission is free; reservations are required.
Reserve at http://www.sfu.ca/reserve
As transit becomes more popular, many cities are having intense and often bitter quarrels about what kind of transit to build or operate. Working from his 20 years of experience as a transit planning consultant, Jarrett Walker examines some of the most common confusions that affect debates about transit, and that often lead to disappointing outcomes. He then suggests strategies for clarifying transit debates, by recognizing the unavoidable “hard choices” that arise from transit’s intrinsic geometry and costs.
Jarrett Walker is a consultant specialising in transit network design and policy, with 20 years experience on four continents. He grew up in Portland and has been based in Portland, San Francisco, and Vancouver. Currently, he is a Principal Consultant for McCormick Rankin Cagney, based in Sydney, Australia. He holds a Ph.D from Stanford University and writes the popular transit weblog humantransit.org.
