Calgary - If it was up to you, money is no issue.

[GoflamesGo]

I was thinking the other day of the things i woudl do if I had the power to change, or add whatever I wanted to in Calgary. Not really as far as non tangibles, but things that everyone could see, and maybe appriciate every day.

For example:

If I could tear the tracks out from between 9th and 10th aves. i would elevate the underpasses, and turn that whole area into a beautiful BLVD. it would be the main entry and exit into downtown (bow tr. would turn into this new BLVD. instead of onto 9th) culminating at the Calgary Tower. which if it was up to me would be totally updated. 9th and 10th would act as huge sidewalks, probably not the entire size of the previous roads, and where the tracks were there would be a beautiful european style blvd. complete with trees and other public art. obviously retail would start sprouting along the blvd on the 9th and 10th ave sides.

So what would you do if you had unlimited funds, and power?

- Move the airport ontop of nose hill park?
- plant 100 0000 more trees throughout the city?
- make a gigantic fresh water resevoir on the east side of the city and turn it into a beach!!!

the crazier the better!

[GoflamesGo]

If this is in the wrong area, please move it. thanks.

[Bigtime]

Ooooh, I like this thread. It's like playing SimCity with a money cheat! Now I have to start some serious brainstorming.

-CPRail tracks are out of downtown, and in its place a Central Park style park for Calgary. This would mean the underpasses (subways) would stay, but they would undergo a massive renovation to make them much more pedestrian friendly. Wider sidewalks, bike lanes, plants, lighting, art, the whole works.

-TOD development goes full steam ahead at all LRT stations that have the excess space to accomodate them. Not everything is a Westgate park highrise TOD, think a mix of all styles and sizes. From the Bridges to Westgate and beyond in scope.

-The airport gets a massive terminal expansion underway. The parallel runway gets its tunnel for airport trail complete with LRT access. Great viewpoints are given for spotters!

-Beltliner's entire Calgary transit proposal gets built With that comes a lot of densification around the many transit corridors he has proposed.

-The east village gets built up, as does Railtown.

-Give ACAD a ridiculous sum of money to build a truly unique building that would be perfect for them in the east village.

-A massive system of bike lanes on our roadways are finally set up.

-Dare I say 11th and 12th avenues are switched back to 2 directions of traffic?

-The area of Crowchild from Kensington road up to 24th avenue is fixed to finally be traffic light free.

-Give the Stampede the funding to fully build out their expansion plans.

-Take the vacant land next to the Sheldon Chumuir and build a brand new downtown hospital.

-Bribe every international organization to get their events into Calgary. Expos, Summer Olympics, massive trade shows, etc.

[You Need A Thneed]

Beltliner's entire Light Rail proposal gets built.

Crowchild gets fixed up so it has no lights.

Deerfoot gets fixed up with a minimum of 3 through lanes everywhere. 16th Ave, Memorial Drive, 17th Ave, and Glenmore interchanges get full makeovers to remove all the lights and greatly increase safety.

NE LRT gets buried under 36th street, 36th Street gets 3 lanes in each direction from Memorial to McKnight, and the space that gets left over becomes a beautiful tree lined Blvd above the tracks.

McKnight Blvd gets interchanges at 12th, 19th, Barlow, 47th?, 52nd, and 68th, and gets widened to three lanes each way between Deerfoot and John Laurie.

TOD everywhere.

Build enough wind and solar power to power the entire city. Requirement for every new house to provide some of it's own power. Ban incandescent AND CFL lightbulbs.

Ensure that everything possible is being done to keep our river water as clean as possible.

Connect more of the bike path system together, have dedicated bike paths to go long distances across town. Bike lanes on all major roads for commuter bikers. Have major bike routes built into each quadrant of the city that are fully grade separated with all roads. Perhaps these routes could be built somehow in conjunction with the LRT system.

All overhead utilities would be buried.

Design a smart traffic light control system that can analyse all the traffic coming towards any light and can figure out the fastest way to get all the traffic though.

Replace all buses with Hybrid engines - or better.

[Surrealplaces]

Here's some of the things I would do, and the order I'd do it.

- I would develop East Village. A beautiful new library and art gallery to go along with the cantos museum. A few low rise residential projects, mixed in with a nicely designed public square. A tunnel through city hall so that Stephen Ave went all the way through to the east village. In fact I might just take a slice right out of the building creating two separate ones.

- I would do something with the CPR tracks. If money was no object, I'd build a small canal inlet, similar to the one in Frankfurt. It would start at the Elbow River, and go west as far as Macleod Trail

- I would correct one of the great wasted opportunities of the city - the misuse of the Elbow River pathway
I would buy out all the houses in Roxboro along the river (starting at 4th street and going east about 3 blocks), and run a street along the river similar to 26th ave. I'd rezone it for higher density and allow retail along the street.

- I would start right away on the Westbrooke TOD, and the really push the Brentwood one as well.
I'd blow away Sears at North Hill, build a good sized underground parkade and build three or four residential buildings (8 -15 floors over much of the large parking lot area.

- I would plant a shit load of trees on the east side of the city. The west side doesn't need really any, but the east side is badly lacking. I'd also fill the areas along Deerfoot full of trees.

- I'd rename the following streets.
1st Street --> Scarth Street
4th Street --> Broadway Street.
17th ave --> Notre Dame Ave.
9th ave SE --> Atlantic Ave.

I've got more ideas here and there, but those are some of the main ones.

[Ferreth]

Some good ideas, let me add a few more Billion to the pile with another idea:

- E-W Crosstown freeway for the North end of town. Since I have a lot of money, I propose burying it under 16th Ave, starting west of Deerfoot. Limited connections to the surface, probably Center and 14th only, re-surfacing at the Foothills hospital, and going under Mongomery again. None of this cheap cut'n cover stuff, tunnel boring all the way. No traffic lights would be the goal.
- Leave room for a subway, build as required, probably initial build would be from 19th St NE to the end of Mongomery. Center would be major TOD, with a node station meeting the N-S subway.

[bicycles]

can someone post Beltliner's transit map? thanks

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Ferreth

Some good ideas, let me add a few more Billion to the pile with another idea:

- E-W Crosstown freeway for the North end of town. Since I have a lot of money, I propose burying it under 16th Ave, starting west of Deerfoot. Limited connections to the surface, probably Center and 14th only, re-surfacing at the Foothills hospital, and going under Mongomery again. None of this cheap cut'n cover stuff, tunnel boring all the way. No traffic lights would be the goal.
- Leave room for a subway, build as required, probably initial build would be from 19th St NE to the end of Mongomery. Center would be major TOD, with a node station meeting the N-S subway.

I love it, Calgary's "Big Dig"!

[Bigtime]

In a lot of our plans we talk about removing the train tracks from downtown, this would in turn probably require the Alyth yards and support buildings being relocated elsewhere.

So since money is no object what would you do with that giant swath of land?

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

So since money is no object what would you do with that giant swath of land?

Build a giant mansion for myself, of course! After all, money is no object!

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by bicycles

can someone post Beltliner's transit map? thanks

This comes to us in a roundabout way, Beltliner's plan is made up of several maps of each individual extension along with text describing the extensions, along with research and rationale. It is currently housed in the form of several entries in his blog here. There's some unrelated blog entries mixed in there too. Here is the amalgamated map that DarkKeyo created:

[ST1]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

In a lot of our plans we talk about removing the train tracks from downtown, this would in turn probably require the Alyth yards and support buildings being relocated elsewhere.

So since money is no object what would you do with that giant swath of land?

Part of it can stay industrial. Part of the area can be developed into residential. It seems to me, moving the tracks is a big part of downttown improving. Who all agrees with this? If so, is it ever going to be a reality?

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by You Need A Thneed

Build a giant mansion for myself, of course! After all, money is no object!

Nice idea, I'm taking it one step further. I'd build myself a nice runway along the area where the rail lines were, and give ourselves a city centre airport for the corporate and private flights out there.

Making sure of course that it does not cause any sort of height limitations for the downtown core, something with special approaches similar to London's city centre airport.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_City_Airport

Edit: Boy my plan would probably piss Inglewood off something fierce! So I'd just give every resident a million bucks to be quiet. I like this unlimited money thing!

[frinkprof]

Unlimited money eh?

NBA franchise

MLB franchise

New home for the Stamps (and new MLB franchise). Particular location doesn't matter, as long as it is inner city and near an LRT station, existing or Beltliner-envisioned.

Trams. Fucking. Everywhere.

Another time we had a thread like this "Surferguy" (who doesn't seem to post much anymore) suggested this, and I was immediately sold. A surfpark.

[Bigtime]

I love the surfpark idea, but with one change. I want that signage of "Xtreme" changed to "Xtreeeeeeeeeeeeeeme"

How could I forget getting the Stamps a new and better home? YES YES YES, oh and same thing for the Flames. Take down the Big 4 and put that puppy right there, with a internal LRT station built right in.

[Distill3d]

IF it were up to me, and money weren't an issue Calgary would:

-pick up and move to a coastal location.

-the Bow River would be renamed the Bow Creek.

-have no skyscraper "twins", instead would have taller buildings.

-the C-Train would be extended to Okotoks, Cochrane, Airdrie, Strathmore, Chestermere, and Bragg Creek.

-a Casino strip similar to Las Vegas would be built along 10 Avenue from 14 Street to Olympic Way.

-the East Village would be home to a downtown campuses for SAIT, Mount Royal College, and University of Calgary. As well as a new downtown library.. All would be designed by Douglas Cardinal.

-Eau Claire would once again be turned into a vibrant community, with a new art gallery, concert hall, and indoor market place. all would be designed by Frank Ghery.

-a high speed train would run with connections to Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal.

-an Urban Sprawl restriction would be set in place to encourage smart growth, and the growth of taller, more dense buildings.

-a Formula 1 grand prix race would be held at the Stampede Grounds two weeks prior to the Stampede.




-the Flames, Roughnecks, Hitmen, Canucks, Stampeders, Vipers, and a new USL soccer franchise would play in a sports/entertainment complex between 14 Street and Crowchild Trail with the Bow Creek as the north boundry, and 10 Avenue as the south boundry. The new multipurpose Football, Baseball, Soccer stadium would be covered, and seat 50,000. New Flames arena would seat 25,000, while the Hitmen, Roughnecks and Canucks would share a 10,000 seat arena. The Pumphouse Theatre would be expanded, and a second 5000 seat theatre/concert hall would be added. This complex would also include two underground C-Train stations.

-a new inner city hospital would be built on the site of the former Children's Hospital.

[Wooster]

A non-exhaustive list:

- Beltliner's LRT plan, plus additional inner city tram routes.
- I would take my trillions and build the centre city, urban corridors and TOD nodes into the best possible communities imaginable, providing affordable housing and very cheap retail space for people who want to start small businesses.
- Build SOM's unrealized Transbay Terminal Tower on Imperial Oil's downtown parcel
- The world's largest Waterpark in the Manchester area.
- The world's largest children's playground in a new West Park
- High Speed Rail to Edmonton and Banff
- Build a new major public art gallery
- New Central Library
- A "Calgary museum" celebrating the city's history.
- Fund anyone who wanted to create a festival or cultural event
- Build a new university over the rail tracks between 9th and 10th avenues
- Build a new music school and new ACAD
- Try and attract another Olympic Games

[Thinner6]

I would make it so virtually all of the old, square ugly boxes -- specifically the apartment buildings plaguing the west part of the downtown -- would be demolished. I would add green spaces, sleek and modern highrises of varying height.

I would also repave many streets and add medians with trees in the middle.

[GoflamesGo]

Originally Posted by Distill3d

IF it were up to me, and money weren't an issue Calgary would:


-a Casino strip similar to Las Vegas would be built along 10 Avenue from 14 Street to Olympic Way.

I thought about this, I would put it on mccleod between the cemetaries, and chinook.

I wish there was a plan to revitalize that portion of macleod, it's such prime real estate.

[Distill3d]

Originally Posted by GoflamesGo

I thought about this, I would put it on mccleod between the cemetaries, and chinook.

I wish there was a plan to revitalize that portion of macleod, it's such prime real estate.

I thought about that area too, along with Blackfoot Trail. Its just that its way too busy/traffic heavy. you want people to be able to walk between the casinos.