The MDP describes the vision for Calgary's long-term growth over the next 60 years and provides policies to guide development of the city over the next 30 years. The seven interrelated goals of the MDP are key to managing the way the city grows more sustainably. These goals are:
Prosperous economy
"Build a globally competitive city that supports a vibrant, diverse and adaptable local economy, maintains a sustainable municipal financial system and does not compromise the quality of life for current and future Calgarians."
Planning for the long-term sustainability of the local economy ensures that current and future generations are resilient and adaptable to economic cycles and unanticipated changes.
Compact city
"Direct future growth of the city in a way that fosters a more compact, efficient use of land, creates complete communities, allows for greater mobility choices and enhances vitality and character in local neighbourhoods."
A dispersed population places social, economic and environmental challenges. In a more compact city, balancing growth between new and developed areas builds vibrant, thriving communities. A compact city is made up of complete communities that provide a broad range of housing choices and services. It also supports high quality transit and mobility choices to get around.
Great communities"Create great communities by maintaining quality living and working environments, improving housing diversity and choice, enhancing community character and distinctiveness and providing vibrant public places."Great communities are adaptable to the needs of current and future residents. They focus on housing, the quality of the physical environment and the amenities and services required for day-to-day, neighbourhood-focused living.
Good urban design"Make Calgary a liveable, 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."Good urban design happens through collaboration and co-ordination between various disciplines, creating great public places that people take pleasure in. The MDP supports good design throughout the city and encourages design to be considered city-wide.
Connecting the city"Develop an integrated, multi-modal transportation system that supports land use, provides increased mobility choices for citizens, promotes vibrant, connected communities, protects the natural environment and supports a prosperous and competitive economy."The design of the transportation system has a significant impact on the urban form of the city and how people are able to move around. The MDP encourages more sustainable modes of transportation such as walking, cycling and transit to create a transportation system that provides more choice for Calgarians to get around the city and their community.
This means prioritizing investment to improve transit networks, streets that have facilities for cycling and walking, and better transportation connectivity.
Greening the city"Conserve, protect and restore the natural environment."Protecting environmentally sensitive areas, promoting renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, low-impact design for stormwater management, green buildings, facilitating cycling and walking all work together to enable the city to be more environmentally friendly.
Managing growth and change "Provide leadership on growth and change within a strategic framework that achieves the best possible social, environmental and economic outcomes while operating within The City's financial capacity."Balancing the interrelated goals and objectives of the MDP is the key to sustainably managing the way the city grows over the next 60 years. To this end, the MDP sets objectives and outlines processes to strategically manage growth through partnerships, accountability, integrated decision-making and linking land use to municipal financial and infrastructure capacity.
Founded on the principles of sustainable development and guided by a philosophy of fiscal responsibility and managed growth, these goals will stimulate growth and change across the city as a whole over the next 60 years.Achieving these goals will mean that Calgary will continue to be a leader in environmental stewardship, a driving force in the Canadian economy and a place that people of varying ages, incomes, interests and lifestyles call home.
