We’ve Got a Plan.
A Master Plan.
People will live, work and party in the future East Village. It'll be lively, busy and varied. And if all goes to plan, it'll be beautiful too.
In the past couple of years, Calgary’s East Village has generated talk, thought, research, trips, more talk – some of it heated – and consultation and rumination of all kinds. And now, there’s a picture – actually, lots of vivid, eye-popping pictures – of the future of EV. The East Village Master Plan, released September 15, turns the theory of East Village into a tantalizing, tangible reality. Until now, the idea of East Village has been just that – an idea of how, at the confluence of Calgary’s two historic rivers, the city would come together in a true Urban Village. An ”Urban Village“ is a place of considerable density with many different kinds of residences – apartments, condos and townhomes – but no single family homes on large lots. Urban Villages have a ”mixed use“ character, meaning that a single building can house both a residence and a business, which is key to creating life on the street day and night. And Urban Villages are designed first for people and then for cars, so you can walk from one place to another safely and easily. With the Urban Village principle as a guide, the architects and planners from British firm Broadway Malyan devised a Master Plan – a picture of how East Village could become an Urban Village, and how it could look in 2020. The Master Plan shows East Village as a place with a dynamic, well-designed mix of architecture and uses, where single building can house a home and a business and a hyper-modern college can be cheek by jowl with a historic hotel. The Master Plan paints a surprising portrait of a modern downtown community of six areas with distinct characters – RiverWalk and River’s Edge, Gateway, The Crossing, Parkside and Fort Calgary and St. Patrick’s Island. It shows how Calgarians will live, work, stroll to restaurants, shopping and bars, explore nature and history, and socialize – all in a compact, walkable area bordered east-west by Macleod Trail and the Elbow River and north-south by the Bow River and 9th Avenue. Come feast your eyes!
Conversations
Watched the video from the various news sites. I'm really liking what I see. I like that it is more of a human scale, very fine grained development. Master Plans often feel over-planned and out of scale with people on the street. More or less planned from above rather than thinking about being on the street. The RIFF and EVE concepts are really innovative and I really like how it taps into the potential of St. Patrick's Island, which could easily become an even better version of what Prince's Island provides the city and downtown.
Is the full master plan document going to be posted on the website soon?
This is a great idea, I can't wait to see it in action. I even like the fact that it is a city corporation in charge of it, short term pain for long term gain...
I did notice however the lack of +15 walkways. It is really very cold here most months and that should be given some merit.
Great for developing inner-city, revitalizing our city's centre....but what about the low-income seniors and other residents who live there? There's a stigma associated with the East Village-drugs, prostitution, homelessness, however there are also law-abiding people who call this area home. What will happen to them? Moreover, what will happen to the "unsavory" element mentioned, will they be pushed further east? Is there a plan in place to mitigate these issues or will we see something similar to what is happening with Vanoc and the homelessness issue there?
I heard rumors that The Alberta College of Art + Design will be part of the East Village plan. Is this true?
I love the new Langevin Lights! I heard the bridge will be lit 365 days a year. I like the animation of the lights and the extra security they offer.
it's inspiring.. it shows the vibe this city has and can bring.....
You should make the magazine available in online form not just hard copy.
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