2.4 Urban design
Urban design involves: • The art of making places that are attractive, memorable and functional for the people who use them. • The arrangement, shaping, appearance and functionality of urban public space. • The complete collaboration and co-ordination of all related disciplines, including land use planning, transportation planning, architecture, engineering and
Supports
landscape design, to achieve striking and effective Provide more choice within
complete communities. Key Direction #3:
Direct land use change within a
framework of nodes and corridors. Key Direction #5:
Increase mobility choices.
Key Direction #7:
Create complete streets.
Calgary is one of the most dynamic and fastest growing urban centres in Canada providing the opportunity to compete for business and workforce population globally. To compete on an international level, cities everywhere are recognizing the importance of the combination of physical characteristics and public amenities, which contribute to their image as attractive urban places.
2.4.1 Creating a beautiful city
Objective Make Calgary a more beautiful, memorable city with a commitment to excellence in urban design. Cities are made up of collections of great buildings and memorable spaces within and/or between the buildings where people live, work, play and visit. It is this collection – the built environment and its architecture and public spaces – that influences each individual’s image of the city. The city can be planned and designed in a way that promotes the creation of civic beauty through a potent combination of architectural interest, material and spatial
areas of expertise involved in great place-making,
richness and visual variety. It is the resulting beauty
including land use planning, transportation planning,
of this combination, together with the legibility and
architecture, landscape design, engineering and
complexity of the pattern, arrangement and scale of the
development economics. The effective co-ordination of
streets spaces and buildings, that has a direct and daily
all of these city-making pursuits, through the instrument
impact on the quality of people’s lives.
creation of distinctive and cherished places.
Memorable places are the special spaces that have a major role in defining and enhancing the image of the city, the legibility of the physical structure and the enjoyment of residents and visitors. Calgary has
T H E C I T Y O F C A L G A R Y M U N I C I PA L D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N
2.4
September | 2009
Urban design brings together the many elements and
of urban design concepts and principles, will result in the
City-wide policies
results. Key Direction #2:
Part 2
Goal Make Calgary a livable, 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.
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