Ward 11 Alderman Brian Pincott | City of Calgary Office of the Aldermen

It has become abundantly clear that the way we have been growing our city for the past several decades is no longer sustainable. Calgary has been nibbling away at increasing its sustainability with different projects over the last couple of years particularly around energy and water consumption. But, there is now a recognition that a large part of our challenge is our land use patterns, namely suburban sprawl.

After two years of research and public consultation; a City team, whose expertise spans many disciplines, presented the Key Directions for Plan It Calgary to Council on Nov 3, 2008 - which Council subsequently approved. The Key Directions will inform the new Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and the new Calgary Transportation Plan (CTP) - both of which are due for review. The Key Directions ensure that for the first time - these two very important pieces of Municipal Policy will reference each other and work together, rather than act as stand alone documents.

The Key Directions, in a nutshell, recommend that we need to find a new balance between municipal growth of the suburbs and in established communities. We must link Land Use planning to mobility and develop our city in a way that maximizes our existing infrastructure. We must increase the mobility choices available to Calgarians.

That is to say - we need to grow up and not out so fast, and we must make owning a car a choice rather than a necessity. And, in order to accommodate the expected 1.3 million new people to our City over the next 50 years in a fiscally, socially and environmentally sustainable way, we must be strategic about creating complete, mixed-use communities.

An example of how this change in planning/ transportation focus may look is a type of development referred to as Transit Oriented Development (TOD), which is moving forward in some locations around the city. The first one to have a completed plan is the Chinook Station Area Plan, along MacLeod Trail near the Chinook LRT station. The Chinook Station Area will become a key hub in mixed-use as we move forward over the years and decades ahead, adding residents and small shops in an environment which will be pedestrian friendly.

Putting shops, people and jobs all together in one area, on a major transit hub is about maximizing existing infrastructure and building-in affordability to Calgarians from the get go.

I am encouraged that we are moving forward with TOD nodes, that we are moving forward with the Key Directions to come up with a new MDP next year. I would encourage everyone to learn more about both Plan It and the Chinook Station Area Plan. Information on both initiatives can be found throughout this website on the Issues page and at the City of Calgary website.