The Urban Design team provides a range of services including designing, advising, guidelines, and information to help The City meet their objective of achieving urban design excellence in Calgary.
Urban Design Projects
The Urban Design Team will assume the role, through approval of the 
Urban Design Framework, as the primary group responsible for coordinating the conceptual design and ensuring a consistent approach to the overall improvement of Calgary’s public realm, as well for the provision of specific design guidance and direction on individual projects, policies, and applications as required.
The initiation of and/or involvement in design coordination of public realm improvements such as streetscapes, public spaces, gate-ways, accent lighting strategies, way-finding, street furniture pro-grams, and pageantry is part of the Urban Design Team’s ongoing responsibility.
Development Application and Urban Design Review
As a CPAG (Corporate Planning Applications Group) specialist group, the Urban Design Team reviews and provides formal comments on commercial and residential Development Permit/Development Liaison/Land Use Applications in any area of the city.
Urban Design Guidelines and Policy Review
The Urban Design Team is tasked with the production of a number of urban design guideline documents as directed by Council. These non-statutory urban design guidelines will be considered by the development authority during the review of planning applications. The following are completed or currently underway:
- Citywide Large Commercial Urban Design Guidelines (Ongoing): providing comprehensive urban design guidance for all new retail oriented commercial areas larger than 3 hectares in The City of Calgary.
- Centre City Urban Design Guidelines (Ongoing): consolidates various existing guidelines; focusing on policy gaps/ongoing development issues; provides practical guidance for both internal and external audiences; and engages building industries.
Downtown Underpass Urban Design Guidelines (Adopted November 2010): establishes urban design principles and design solutions which address pressing issues related to Calgary’s downtown underpasses: safety, connectivity, accessibility, context, vitality, greenery and beauty. - Bird-Friendly Design Guidelines (Adopted March 2011): this guideline offers urban design strategies for reducing bird-building collisions.
- Centre City Illumination Guidelines (Adopted March 2011): providing a comprehensive urban design based lighting guidance for the Centre City in the form of principles, guidelines and solution-based case studies.
Design Advocacy and Outreach
Advocating for great architecture and urban design throughout the city, both internally and externally, is an important part of the Urban Design Team’s core responsibilities. This will occur through a number of initiatives, both currently underway and proposed:
Contact
For more information regarding Urban Design & Heritage please contact:
David Down
403-268-5468
For media requests please call 403-828-2954.
