Transforming Downtown Calgary from vacant to vibrant

The University of Calgary (UCalgary) is working with the city to bring vacant downtown spots to life with initiatives adding community spaces.

UCalgary received $350,000 for the Civic Commons Catalyst Initiative (CCC) project, which is from UCalgary’s School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape (SAPL).

In a statement the university released on Sunday, it says the investment will support CCC researchers as they focus on innovative solutions to transform underused public and private spaces downtown.

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City of One Thousand Planets exhibition at the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape city building design lab in Calgary. (Courtesy of Max Krewiak for Center for Civilization)

The director of the Centre for Civilization, Alberto de Salvatierra, happens to be an assistant professor for SAPL at UCalgary. He is taking the lead on the CCC project.

“We are working to make Calgary more liveable, inclusive, and more sustainable for the future,” Salvatierra said.

“While it is the whole of civilization that finds itself at a critical inflection point, it is cities where these challenges will unfold. Therefore, cities must be the fulcrum upon which bold solutions are found.”

One of the CCC projects, Rainbow Rambla, is in the alleyways located between 10 Street SW and 12 Avenue.

Salvatierra says that buildings, like those around Rainbow Rambla, are held at 40 per cent capacity, meaning there is still room for businesses and residents to move into the area.

“So, [the area] has the research potential [on] how we can include more leisure and recreational activities around it,” Salvatierra said.

Phases one and two of the CCC were funded through a $460,000 grant by the Alberta Real Estate Foundation, while phase three is being funded through the Urban Alliance partnership with the city.

One of the completed projects is the conversion of old LRT cars.

A bus that was revamped by a project with the University of Calgary at 8 Avenue and 10 Street SW in Calgary on Sept. 13, 2022. (Henna Saeed, CityNews photo)

Salvatierra says the LRT project was led by associate dean of research and innovation for SAPL Joshua Taron. They used an abandoned LRT, and turned it into a community hub for artists to engage with the community.

“That’s already in action, and it was put to work over the summer,” Salvatierra said.

The recycled LRT car will stay parked for one year at the corner of 8 Avenue and 10 Street SW beside Loophole Coffee Bar.

This project also includes plans to transform 4 Avenue SW into a pedestrian community space, where they will examine the viability of hydroponic food production in downtown buildings. It’s a method where plants can be grown in nutrient-fortified water, instead of in soil – so they can grow in buildings rather than in fields.

“There are a lot of office vacancies in [the] downtown core, and not all of those are adequate for conversion to residential. Therefore, there need to be additional solutions for reimagining what these offices can be,” Salvatierra said.

“One of the projects we are working on is an office to hydroponic facility conversion, in order to assist in localizing supply chains and providing new fresh food systems for the City of Calgary,” Salvatierra said.

The research agreement between the city and the UCalgary is for three years. During that time, researchers study data and work on solutions to develop a strategy to revitalize Calgary into a more modern and adaptable city.

-With files from Toula Mazloum