Fish Creek Provincial Park is one of the largest urban parks in North America with more than 1,300 hectares of natural habitat, rich biodiversity and loads of hiking, walking and biking trails to explore.
Updated February 2020
This paper grew from a demonstration project to prove the business case for energy efficiency upgrades to affordable housing properties in Calgary.
Calgary as a city continues to lead Canada in terms of population growth and, as its economy continues to grow, increasingly competes on a global scale for both business and talent. As Calgary becomes recognized as a global city, it needs to keep up with other Great Cities to attract successful businesses, elite-level talent, and provide critical infrastructure support for economic success.
With Calgary’s growth in mind, the Calgary Chamber launched the Great Cities initiative, which looks to understand the importance of cities in the global economy, and the impact municipal decisions and actions have on the success of a community.
The government of Alberta is about to institute a major change in its condominium laws. Along with changes to the law itself, this provides an opportunity to review the mechanism through which Alberta consumers are educated regarding this complex legislation.
This document is the result of a study funded by the Alberta Real Estate Foundation in which the program in Real Estate and Urban Economics at the Alberta School of Business, scanned and examined best practices around the world regarding communicating key aspects of condominium legislation and services to industry participants with a specific focus on condominium buyers and owners.
Topics include the affordability and availability of housing and commercial space, homelessness, regional planning, planning for population and demographic changes, and creating engaging public spaces. This issue features case studies from Calgary, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Camrose, and Cold Lake, and includes interviews with members of Alberta’s real estate community. A preview version of Curb’s “Boomtowns” issue is available here, and a full version is available through the CRSC website.
Placemaking has become a popular term in policy circles for making a city, region or community more inviting for residents and investment, both existing and prospective. In growing economies such as Alberta, placemaking can help balance growth pressures with liveability, in addition to attracting new talent. But successful placemaking is complex, requiring the engagement of a wide array of stakeholders and going well beyond the branding and beautification exercises often associated with it. Housing forms and availability, community design, transportation, sustainability, local narratives and governance all weigh into the success of any placemaking initiative.
