crescent heights high school urban design · • the role of urban design within the city of...

Communit y Character March 10, 2018

Crescent Heights High School

URBAN DESIGN Appreciating

Community Character

1 Community Character (March 2018)

Understanding Urban Design Main Streets Historical Resources

Cit y of Calgary 2018 Workshop Team

Community Character (March 2018) 2

• David Down / [email protected] --------------- Citywide Urban Design • Sonny Tomic / [email protected] ------------- Citywide Urban Design • Angela Kiu/ [email protected] ------------------- Citywide Urban Design • Xia Zhang / [email protected] ------------------- Citywide Urban Design • Afrah Rayes / [email protected] --------------- Citywide Urban Design • Lothar Wiwjorra / [email protected] -- Citywide Urban Design • Clint Robertson / [email protected] ---- Heritage Planning • Erin Van Wijk / [email protected] ------------ Heritage Planning • Kevin Barton / [email protected] ------------ Main Streets Program • Derek Burnett / [email protected] --------- Calgary Approvals • Jennifer Crack / [email protected] -------- Calgary Approvals • Devin LaFleche / [email protected] ---------- Masters Student McGill University

… Together with t he Federat ion of Calgary Communit ies

mailto:[email protected]












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(B) Act ivit y: Appreciating The MDP’s 13 Elements of Urban Design Survey Appreciating COMMUNITY CHARACTER in Crescent Heights through urban design

Learning Object ives

(A) Underst anding Urban Design • The Role of Urban Design within The City of Calgary

• What is Urban Design?

• Main Streets – Planning / Investment / Innovation

• Heritage Planning

Community Character (March 2018)


The Role of Urban Design at The City of Calgary


• Prosperous economy • Compact city • Great communities • Good urban design • Connecting the city • Greening the city • Managing growth & change

CALGARY MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN 7 Goals:


Municipal Developm ent Plan (2009) Calgary Transpor t at ion Plan (2009) Cent re Cit y Plan (2007) Municipal Developm ent Plan urban design object ives: Section 2.4 “Urban Design” Section 2.4.1 “Creating a Beautiful City” Section 2.4.1(d) “Urban Design Excellence” Section 2.4.3 “Enhancing the Public Realm” Section 3.3 “Typologies” Calgary Transpor t at ion Plan aligned t ranspor t at ion st rat egies: Section 3.7 “Complete Streets”

CALGARY MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

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The Municipal Developm ent Plan aim s for :

2.3 Creating great communities Goal: Create great communities by maintaining quality living and working environments, improving housing diversity and choice, enhancing community character and distinctiveness and providing vibrant public places. 2.3.2 Respecting and enhancing neighbourhood character The “sense of place” inherent in Calgary’s neighbourhoods is a function of their history, built form, landscape, visual qualities and people. Together, the interaction of these factors defines the distinctive identity and local character of a neighbourhood.

2.4 Urban design Goal: Make Calgary an attractive, memorable and functional city by recognizing its unique setting and dynamic urban character and creating a legacy of quality public and private developments for future generations. Good urban design happens through collaboration and coordination between various disciplines, creating great public places that people can enjoy. The Municipal Development Plan supports good design throughout the city and encourages design to be considered city-wide. 2.4.1 Creating a beautiful city Make Calgary a more beautiful, memorable city with a commitment to excellence in urban design.


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The 13 Elem ent s of Urban Design: Creativity Encourage innovation; model best practices

Context Optimize form with respect to response to adjacent uses, heights and densities

Connectivity Achieve visual and functional connections between buildings and places;

Integration Facilitate the conjunction of land-use, built form, landscaping and public realm design

Accessibility Ensure clear and simple access for all types of users

Scale Define street edges’ respect context; pay attention to scale

Safety Create places that provide a sense of security at all times

Quality Encourage the use of durable and long lasting materials and details

Animation: Encourage active uses; details that add colour, wit and fun

Flexibility: Develop planning and building concepts which allow adaptation to future uses, new technologies

Diversity: Promote designs accommodating a broad range of users and uses

Sustainability: Incorporate sustainable practices and materials

Orientation: Provide clear and consistent directional clues for urban navigation



Guidelines: (non-statutory) Centre City Urban Design Guidelines Large Retail Commercial Area Urban Design Guidelines Centre City Illumination Guidelines B ird Friendly Urban Design Guidelines

Area Redevelopm ent Plans

Guidebooks: New Community Guidebook Developed Areas Guidebook Centre City Guidebook

Municipal Developm ent Plan Calgary Transpor t at ion Plan


The Urban Design Review Framework

Objectives:

1. Design input at the most effective point(s) in the process

2. Making the best use of local design expertise

3. Ensuring informed design decision making


Quality Development Project • In response to the growing emphasis on realizing high quality development, City of

Calgary Administration has launched the Quality Development Project; • This project will build on the results of a number of design – focused initiatives to

more fully understand and define what quality is, to develop criteria to measure quality outcomes, and to communicate expectations to applicants and communities clearly and consistently

• McGill University Project: Defining Quality Planning Outcomes for the City of Calgary “Provide a clear and simple criteria for quality planning outcomes for The City of Calgary when considering relevant public plans/policies, and the input of planning staff and key stakeholders”.


What is Urban Design?

Community Character in Crescent Heights (March 2018) 13

What is Urban Design?

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

URBAN DESIGN

• CREATIVE • COLLABORATIVE • INTER-DISCIPLINARY


Urban Design – place-m ak ing process • 3-dim ensional form s

• St reet s, Open Spaces and Qualit y Buildings

• Landscape and Nat ural Feat ures

• Local Social, Econom ical and Environm ent al Cont ext

… t o creat e l ivable com m unit ies and neighbourhoods


Pr inciples / Object ives Urban Design

To prom ot e CHARACTER – by responding to and reinforces locally distinctive patterns of development, …

… landscape and culture



To prom ot e CONTINUITY AND ENCLOSURE – with continuous street frontages

… and enclosure of space that defines public and private areas clearly



To prom ot e QUALITY OF THE PUBLIC REALM

with public spaces … and routes (meaning streets, sidewalks, pathways, bike paths, lanes)

– for all ages and abilities



To prom ot es EASE OF MOVEMENT -

putting people first before traffic and integrating land uses and transport

with places connecting with each other and are easy to move through and …



To prom ot es LEGIBILITY –

with recognizable routes, intersections in a development …

… that help people find their way around easily



Socially …

- with development that responds to changing conditions ….

Technologically …

To prom ot es ADAPTABILITY

Economically …



To prom ot es DIVERSITY

- through a mix of compatible developments and uses …

… that work well together to create viable places that support local needs


Urban Design is physically expressed t hrough t he Built Environm ent

(1) Layout of development – urban structure and urban grain

(2) Landscape

(4) Scale – Height and Massing

(3) Density and Mix of Uses

(5) Appearance – Details and Materials

Urban Design 101


Main St reet s

Planning

Invest m ent s

Innovat ions

Urban main street Neighbourhood main street

Main St reet s in it iat ive Council Approval May 2014 • im plem ent at ion of Municipal Developm ent Plan goals

• cit y w ide approach for m ain st reet s

• f ine t uned t o local oppor t unit ies

• underst and cit izen desires for grow t h

• explore opt ions for new policy or regulat ory f ram ework

• creat e an act ion or ient at ed plan for pr ivat e invest m ent

• det erm ine st rat egy for cit y funding


Main St reet s in it iat ive PHASE 1 Learning and Underst anding Novem ber 2014 to July 2015 * Focus on cit izen input • 24 Main St reet Prof iles • 32 Local Viewpoint Maps

PHASE 2 Analysis and Evaluat ion Oct ober 2015 to June 2016 * Focus on m arket needs * Focus on regulat ory im provem ent • Developed Area Guidebook • Mixed Use (MU) Dist r ict s • Priorit izat ion of main st reet areas

PHASE 3 Im plem ent at ion Approach June 2016 to Apr i l 2017 * Focus on new land use f ram eworks

• Priorit y areas Land Use Redesignat ions Local Area Plan updates Water Service review • Implementat ion approach


Main St reet s Im plem ent at ion Plan

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Approved by Council

April 11, 2017

• Approach

• Framework

• Priorit ization


Main St reet s Im plem ent at ion Plan

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Principles:

• Planning

• Investment

• Innovation


Im plem ent at ion Plan Sequencing

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33 Main Street areas City Wide 17 street areas priorit ized for land use (rezoning) and reconstruction 3 streets rebuilt 2017- 2020 . (funding approved) 14 streets redesigned . 2017-2020 . (construction funding pending, . Council review Nov. 2018) Note: Order of projects subject to change


H i st o r i c Re so u r ce s i n Ca l ga r y


https://youtu.be/T2JLx3-2LQM

Her it age Planning

https://youtu.be/T2JLx3-2LQM

H e r i t a ge Pl a n n i n g

Cit y Her it age Planning St af f

Calgary Her it age St rat egy (2012)

Ident ify Prot ect Manage

Support Calgary Heritage Authority as a non-voting professional resource Fund research to increase the number of evaluations done yearly

Write Designation Bylaws for consenting landowners and bring before Council

Permit review and best-practice advising Incentives for resource retention: - Density Transfer - Relaxations - Land Use Redesignation support Develop and consult on long-term policy Public Awareness & Education

Historical Resources Act



ALBERTA HISTORICAL RESOURCES ACT: “If a bylaw…decreases the economic value of a building

structure or land that is within the area being designated by the bylaw, the council shall by bylaw provide the owner of that

building, structure or land with compensation for the decrease in economic value.”


Transfer of Unused Development Rights (Density Transfer)


“Community Benefit” Investment Fund

Draft Inglewood & Ramsay ARP: - Requirement to acquire

additional density to get to new max density by contribution to Community investment Fund

- Community Investment Fund will fund a community restoration grant fund for protected heritage properties

- Modelled upon existing City grant program


ACTIVITY Primer – The MDP’s 13 Elements of Urban Design Survey Walking Tour: Appreciating COMMUNITY CHARACTER in Crescent Heights through urban design

crescent heights high school urban design · • the role of urban design within the city of...

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