My feeling is that Calgary is at a tipping point right now. We aren't quite urban yet but we're getting there. I remember even just a few years ago downtown was literally devoid of traffic after dark on weekdays. Today, you take the flyover DT on a Monday and there's a line. This also applies to pedestrian traffic as there seems to be far more of it than there used to. The funniest story I remember hearing was my cousin from Montreal recounting his month he spent here in the mid 90's. He would try clubbing here, but told me how dead the downtown was and how one time he actually saw a tumble weed blowing by it was so dead.
I distinctly remember seeing tumble weed a few times myself (probably due to the massive amounts of empty parking lots more than lack of ppl but it illustrates the point perfectly). All quiet at the OK corral.
Anyhow, I think what I'm getting at int his rambling speech is give it some time. Hell, when I graduated Highschool in 02 Sasso, Stmapede Station, Nuera, KEynote were all just empty parking lots that hookers used for johns. Even the Casino in its current form wasn;t there yet. And as much as it may be an evil to some ppl, it certainly brings a level of street life to it. I thinkt he next big contributor to vibrancy DT will be Le Germain, as it is in what has always been a no man's land for residential.