The Calgary Plan
What is the Calgary Plan?
The Calgary Plan is Calgary’s proposed highest level planning document. It will outline the vision and framework for the city’s growth and change over the coming decades.
Initially scheduled to be brought to the Infrastructure and Planning Committee (IPC) in December of 2024, the current draft Calgary Plan was postponed at the direction of City Council to allow for further engagement with Calgarians. The Plan has been directed to be brought to IPC in the second quarter of 2026.
The Calgary Plan will guide how Calgary will grow and change over the next 30 years and set the direction for future land use and mobility decisions. The Calgary Plan fully integrates both land use and transportation policy together for the first time in a simplified, plain language document--replacing the current Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and Calgary Transportation Plan (CTP). While the Calgary Plan has been simplified and modernized, it carries forward the vision and many policies from the current MDP (last updated in 2020).
- The Calgary Plan (draft, to be presented to Infrastructure and Planning Committee Q2 2026) - outlines land use and mobility planning policies that will guide Calgary's growth and change over the coming decades.
- Calgary Today, Calgary Tomorrow - serves as a supplementary document that includes the context and vision direction for the Calgary Plan.
Through 2025, the Calgary Plan team is working on implementation of policy through the new Zoning Bylaw, supporting policy interpretation and further testing.
As we engage with Calgarians on the Zoning Bylaw, consideration will be given to amend the draft Calgary Plan policies, as necessary, to ensure our citywide plans and tools work together seamlessly.
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Engagement is open May 5-31, 2025.
The Calgary Plan
To read the draft of the Calgary Plan
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How to read the Calgary Plan
Below is a high-level overview of each chapter. For full content, please refer to the Calgary Plan itself.
Chapter 1
Introducing the Calgary Plan
Chapter 1
Introducing the Calgary Plan
Calgary has been growing rapidly, so The City is updating its policies to guide future development. This plan provides both clear directions and flexibility to adjust as Calgary continues to change.
Goals and Outcomes
The Plan outlines long-term goals focused on people, the economy, and the environment, with clear outcomes for each. Indicators will measure progress toward these outcomes, helping to monitor trends and address new challenges.
Key Directions
The Calgary Plan outlines nine key directions that set The City’s priorities for action over the next 10 years. Each key direction incorporates essential elements of land use and mobility planning. They are anchored in growth principles that promote balanced and sustainable growth, efficient development, and financial and resource responsibility. They provide a practical framework for how the key directions are applied in planning and decision-making.
Chapter 2
Growing Calgary
Chapter 2
Growing Calgary
Growth
Calgary’s rapid expansion requires smart land-use planning. These policies ensure development is financially responsible and sustainable, supporting Calgary’s growth in a balanced way.
Housing
Housing policies enable a diverse range of housing types in both new and developed areas. This includes market and non-market options to meet the needs of all Calgarians. These policies are aligned with Home is Here: The City of Calgary’s Housing Strategy.
City Structure
City Structure considerations focus on how and where different land uses should occur to support our growing city. In addition to policy direction on growth and urban form, this section includes the City Structure map. This map classifies Calgary into six different areas based on their function and development intensity.
The Greater Downtown
The Greater Downtown has a unique focus because of its well-developed infrastructure and high-density potential. As office spaces shift toward residential and mixed uses, the Plan prioritizes improving the street network and welcoming new residents to create a complete, vibrant downtown.
Urban Form
Planning applications will use these sections for guidance on the urban design principles and the other considerations like heritage, public art, and hazards where appropriate. The Calgary Plan brings statutory authority to these areas with enabling policies to construct the built form and protect it from hazards.
Chapter 3
Connecting Calgary
Chapter 3
Connecting Calgary
Natural Systems
The Plan starts with Calgary’s natural environment, recognizing how Calgary’s landscape and rivers support the city’s growth and ecology. Updated policies aim to protect natural areas, expand tree cover, and safeguard sensitive ecological zones.
Mobility Systems
The Calgary Transportation Plan has been streamlined to set clear policies for projects, ensuring transportation aligns with local needs and best practices.
- The Plan supports a variety of travel options, including the Wheeling Network which focuses on making biking and walking accessible citywide.
- A main focus of the Plan is building around transit by encouraging higher-density and mixed-use areas near the Primary Transit Network. Streets are designed for all types of movement—not just cars—emphasizing safety and sustainability.
- Parking Policies are more than just a transportation issue; they impact land use and development. The Plan includes policies on parking that will guide updates to Calgary’s Zoning Bylaw and influence how space is allocated for private vehicle storage.
Chapter 4
Delivering Calgary
Chapter 4
Delivering Calgary
City Services and Policies
This section offers guidelines for city departments to use in creating service plans, budgets and strategies. It coordinates closely with Calgary’s Parks Plan to ensure consistent language and no policy duplication, especially concerning parks and open spaces.
Chapter 5
Implementing the Calgary Plan
Chapter 5
Implementing the Calgary Plan
Ongoing Planning and Collaboration
This chapter includes policies that inform other important documents, like Area Structure Plans and Growth Applications.
Tracking Progress
Indicators are included to measure progress towards key goals and outcomes. These indicators help monitor trends that might influence future planning.
Appendix A
Appendix A
The New Community Planning Guidebook
The New Community Planning Guidebook is currently a volume of the existing municipal development plan. Its purpose is to provide building blocks for new community design and translates the vision of the Calgary Plan to implementation policy for new communities.
Throughout the engagement process, it was identified that The New Community Planning Guidebook is an important component to maintain and thus was edited and attached as Appendix A of the Calgary Plan. Changes were limited to areas that were in direct conflict or redundant with the Calgary Plan, and have been removed from the Appendix.
In the event of a conflict or inconsistency between the Calgary Plan and Appendix A: The New Community Planning Guidebook, the Calgary Plan will prevail.
Calgary Plan milestones
Learn about documents in progress and share input to evolve the next draft of the new Zoning Bylaw and discuss connections to the Calgary Plan.
Frequently asked questions
How does the Calgary Plan work with other City plans?
Home is Here: The City of Calgary’s Housing Strategy
This strategy aspires to ensure that everyone living in Calgary has an affordable place to call home.
City Building and Housing Strategy teams will be working together to keep each other informed of progress, major decisions, and opportunities for the public to receive information and provide feedback.
Some of the Housing Strategy actions approved by Council will fall into the scope of the City Building program, including:
- Residential parking requirements
- Exploring more permitted housing uses in new districts
- Making non-market housing easier to build
- Improving policies and land use districts to increase affordable housing supply and housing choice in every community
The City Building team will be updating policy and all zoning regulations (including all residential zones). Changes proposed through City Building will be part of the education and engagement campaigns for the program.
Rezoning for Housing and The Guide for Small Scale Housing: Rowhouse, Townhouse and Front-Back Semi-detached Development
Feedback collected through City Building Program engagement on the new Zoning Bylaw will be used to inform the Guide. The Guide is being created to provide clarity and help enhance the design of rowhouse, townhouse and front-back semi-detached housing in Calgary’s developed residential areas.
It will emphasize improving site layout, building design, landscape design and amenity space to create high-quality and sustainable living environments. This project was directed by Council as one of the citywide rezoning motions.
For additional information about the Guide or Rezoning for Housing visit http://calgary.ca/rezoning.
Local area plans provide area-specific direction on redevelopment and reinvestment that will guide livable, equitable and diverse growth in our communities over the next 30 years.
We are collaborating and getting feedback from other internal projects and departments to ensure we have alignment and coordination between other bodies of work. Visit Local Area Planning in Calgary for more information about completed plans and plans currently underway.
Directs land use policies and building regulations in flood hazard areas to guide how we plan and develop in river communities to make them more resilient.
As our city continues to grow and the information available about flood risk evolves, it is important that we continue to revisit our land use policies and building regulations in flood hazard areas to guide how we plan and develop in river communities to make them more resilient.
Key outcomes of the Calgary River Valleys Project include adding updated river valley and flood hazard policy content in the Calgary Plan and updating Flood Hazard Area regulations in the updated Land Use (Zoning) Bylaw.
The City Building team will incorporate the relevant policies and actions from Calgary’s Climate Strategy.
In general, housing development initiatives that provide densification in established areas and are oriented around public and active transit opportunities are in alignment with Calgary’s Climate Strategy.
Housing development initiatives, however, should all consider building energy performance, as building performance needs to improve rapidly to hit our emissions targets.
Housing development initiatives should also incorporate climate resilience measures to reduce climate risk and susceptibility to increasing extreme weather events.
What does the Calgary Plan help us achieve?
The Calgary Plan directs growth strategically to help ensure Calgary maintains livability, affordability and competitiveness.
The Plan seeks to connect people to parks and recreation, maintaining the livability Calgarians seek in their communities.
It helps create more housing choice for where Calgarians want to live and more mobility choice for how they want to get around.
By providing more choice and protecting what matters to Calgarians, the Calgary Plan helps Calgary maintain its competitiveness to attract people and businesses.
What does the Calgary Plan do?
- Provides long-range vision for how we will use land and get around The City over the next thirty years.
- Creates simple to use policy which increases certainty for developers, builders, businesses and Calgarians to guide and enable growth, development and building decisions. It will support streamlined approvals, a healthy and diverse housing supply and a business-friendly approach to growth and development.
- Simplifies, integrates and aligns policy that guides how we use land and how we move through our city. It also incorporates Council’s strategic priorities and recently approved plans to support decision making.
Who was engaged to create the Calgary Plan?
Engagement on the Calgary Plan was divided into four streams to ensure a comprehensive approach and provide different groups with information and discussion tailored to their level of knowledge and interest in the project. These groups include the general public, equity-denied communities, Indigenous nations and peoples and interested parties.
In total, over 100 in-person and online engagement opportunities were held, as well as 14 online surveys, reaching over 21,000 Calgarians.
How will the Calgary Plan affect Calgarians?
The Calgary Plan’s three goals emphasize what an implemented Calgary Plan will mean for Calgarians:
People
This goal emphasizes a Calgary that creates safe, healthy, vibrant places for people of all backgrounds and abilities. This means Calgary will be a city where people have access to resources and opportunities, including housing affordability, essential services, public amenities, mobility and accessibility options. This goal ensures Calgary will continue to be a city where people can thrive.
Environment
This goal calls for a Calgary that respects and protects natural systems. This means a future Calgary that will have a healthy and integrated natural system, sustainable water resource management, and access to nature throughout the city. It also means that Calgary will continue to make progress on climate mitigation and adaptation, reducing costs of extreme weather events, and the protection of our natural environment.
Economy
This goal aims for a robust, competitive and diverse economy supporting innovation and opportunity for all. This means a Calgary that continues to be the economic engine of the region, with new businesses across different industries and adding new jobs and opportunities that respond to changing market. This includes traditional business and industry sectors, new and emerging industries as well as the arts, culture and recreation sectors.