ALL PHOTOS CREDIT: THE CITY OF CALGARY
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The Plus 15 Network Study Winner of the 2020 Stan Teply Oustanding Technical Project Award BY IRINI AKHNOUKH & BLANKA BRACIC THE CITY OF CALGARY Calgary’s Centre City is a vibrant and lively area hosting countless amenities, including shops, businesses, restaurants and food services, residences, offices, parks, institutions, and tourist attractions. Over the course of a year, almost 7 million people visit the Centre City. Approximately 8,500 people reside within downtown, and the area employs almost 98,000 individuals and hosts 2,600 businesses. As such, the design of a safe and efficient transportation network throughout the Centre City is imperative to accommodating the trips generated and providing an effective means of travel for all ages and abilities. In addition to the extensive network of roadways, pathways, sidewalks, bike lanes, and transit infrastructure throughout downtown Calgary, the Plus 15 skywalk network plays a key role in moving people and providing a safe and reliable means of travel through the Centre City. But the network is more than just a means of travel. In addition to its role in the transportation network, the Plus 15 is a
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TRANSPORTATION TALK | FALL 2020
unique feature of the city unlike any other throughout the country. It characterizes mobility in the Centre City as being pedestrian-oriented while offering attractive vistas and diverse placemaking opportunities as part of the City’s public realm.
A bit of history The Plus 15 network in Calgary was first proposed in the 1960’s by an architect named Harold Hanen who envisioned that the system would develop organically as The City’s downtown developed. As such, there was never a firmly designed system wide Plus 15 network plan to identify specific bridge locations or where tie-ins needed to occur. The first Plus 15 structure became operational in the early 1970’s and connected the Westin Hotel and Calgary Place. Since then, the network has expanded to include eighty-seven structures covering over 16 km of bridges and public easements through private and public buildings and is one of North America’s most extensive pedestrian skywalk systems.
