The Calgary Plan
May 2026 Calgary Plan update
We are pleased to share the May 2026 draft Calgary Plan update. This update reflects a milestone for the City Building Program as it incorporates additional input received from Phase 5 engagement in 2025, clarity edits as well as alignment to City and provincial decisions made since the last December 2024 draft of the Plan.
March 3 Notice of Motion approved
At its March 31 Regular Meeting, Council approved the March 3 Notice of Motion: EC2026-0228, directing Administration to return with an updated version of the Calgary Plan for discussion at the June 16, 2026 Strategic Council Meeting.
We will update the website as more information becomes available. Thank you.
What is the Calgary Plan?
The draft Calgary Plan is an update to the current Municipal Development Plan and if approved, will serve to strategically guide growth and city building. It is a high-level, long-term statutory policy document that is required by Alberta’s Municipal Government Act (MGA) and sets policies for land use, development, transportation and the provision of municipal services and facilities.
An annotated Calgary Plan is also available that details the updates made since December 2024.
The Calgary Plan enhances the connections that make this city great, ensuring that Calgary continues to grow responsibly as a beacon of innovation, diversity and prosperity.
After five phases of engagement (October 2023-May 2025), the Calgary Plan team has incorporated feedback from interested parties and Calgarians and carried out additional testing and policy interpretation to support implementation.
Click on the below to learn about engagement feedback:
- City Building Program - Engagement Summary
- What We Are Doing - Highlights
- What We Are Doing - Calgary Plan
- What We Are Doing - Zoning Bylaw
- What We Are Doing - Street Manual
- What We Didn't Do
- Next Steps
See the Calgary Plan milestones for timelines and next steps.
How to read the Calgary Plan
Don’t have enough time to read the Plan but want to learn more about it? Below are summaries of the Calgary Plan by theme. Each theme is also linked to the 2027-2030 Council Priority focus area. Read the full proposed Calgary Plan.
Stay connected
Get regular updates about the City Building Program.
Have a question for the project team?
Send us an e-mail.
Business
Calgary's economic success depends on businesses being able to start, grow, thrive and compete. This includes ensuring enough industrial land, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship and maintaining strong goods movement networks that connect businesses to local and global markets. It encourages innovation and business activity across the city, helping Calgary attract investment and strengthen its role as a regional distribution centre.
What does the Calgary Plan say?
- Support new and existing businesses, innovation and local jobs.
- Make city processes easier to help small businesses and equity groups.
- Encourage retail, services, childcare, arts, culture and local commercial growth.
- Support food production, urban farming, agri-tourism and low-carbon industries.
- Maintain a supply of high-quality industrial lands to foster business investment and economic growth.
- Support economic diversification and enable emerging technologies, sectors and manufacturing activities to thrive.
- Ensure efficient goods movement networks connecting Calgary to regional, national and international markets.
What we heard from Calgarians
- Support for small businesses
- Desire for economic opportunities
- More options to get to work in areas outside of the downtown
- Residents support corner store and small commercial uses in neighbourhoods
- Support for job creation and economic growth.
Related Council Priorities
- Balanced Growth & Evolving Neighbourhoods
Design and heritage
Calgary’s buildings, communities and streets integrate into neighbourhoods through welcoming public spaces and well-designed, accessible and inclusive buildings. Heritage sites protect important history, while public art tells community stories. Together, they create safe, vibrant and accessible places that reflect identity and support connection.
What does the Calgary Plan say?
- Safe, inclusive, comfortable, green and active public spaces and streetscapes
- Development sites with walking paths, shared spaces, resilient landscaping and connections to surrounding areas
- Growth in redeveloping areas complements the neighbourhood context and heritage
- New development respects, conserves and integrates heritage resources through best practices and available tools
- Public art is integrated into public spaces across the city, and reflects diverse histories, identities and community stories.
- A diverse and growing urban forest and drought-tolerant landscaping.
What we heard from Calgarians
- Concern about heritage protection
- High value for trees, especially street trees
- Concern about the impact of development on the character of communities
- Each neighbourhood is unique
Related Council Priorities
- Community Livability & Well-being
Greater Downtown
A strong downtown supports jobs, businesses and city life. The Calgary Plan guides land use, mobility and public space planning to help downtown thrive as a hub for employment, culture and urban living.
What does the Calgary Plan say?
- Most trips within downtown are made by walking, wheeling and transit.
- Streets prioritize walking, safety, wayfinding and public amenities.
- Parks and public spaces are safe, accessible, green and connected
- Shops, cafes, patios and retail directly on sidewalks for easy access.
- Transit streets and stations are well-integrated, safe and comfortable
- Protected, connected and safe cycling routes with parking and repair facilities.
- Trees, plants and natural features along streets and in parks.
- Support for festivals, events and attractions.
- Plus 15 Network integrated as part of the walking network with safe, accessible connections.
What we heard from Calgarians
- Better public spaces, greenery and parks downtown
- A walkable downtown with great transit connections
- The need for a vision for the downtown
- Desire for more events and culture
Related Council Priorities
- Balanced Growth & Evolving Neighbourhoods
Growth
The Calgary Plan supports building more homes, jobs, shops and services near main streets and transit stations, making it easier for people to reach everyday destinations and provide choices in how to get around.
What does the Calgary Plan say?
- The highest density homes and jobs should be located near transit.
- Neighbourhoods include retail and commercial uses, particularly around transit.
- Plazas, walking and biking routes connect people to transit stations.
- High activity areas are around transit stations, main streets, malls and institutions.
- Moderate activity areas are along primary transit routes and in inner city areas.
- High and moderate activity areas support more housing, jobs, shops, arts and industry.
- Light activity areas are residential neighbourhoods with some local shops and services.
What we heard from Calgarians
- Support for growth around transit
- Support for shops and services across neighbourhoods
- Need for infrastructure projects to mitigate impacts (such as construction) on communities
Related Council Priorities
- Balanced Growth & Evolving Neighbourhoods
Housing
Calgarians need a wide range of housing, from homeownership to shelters, to improve affordability and support access to safe, suitable and attainable homes. Local area plans and area structure plans guide where and how housing is built to expand choice and improve access to services, transit and local businesses.
What does the Calgary Plan say?
- Housing choice in all neighbourhoods.
- 15 percent non-market housing target across each area structure plan and local area plan area.
- Affordable homes retained with reduced displacement during new infrastructure projects.
- City land sold, leased or used for non-market and mixed-market housing.
- Support for innovative designs and construction methods for new and existing housing types, including accessible units.
- Partnerships to increase housing supply citywide.
- A diversity of non-market and market housing types, tenures and ownership options, including purpose-built rental, co-housing, co-operative and student housing.
What we heard from Calgarians
- Very strong support for housing that is affordable for everyone, including market and non-market housing
- Desire for different housing options across the city, and the ability to stay in the same neighbourhood during different stages of life
Related Council Priorities
- Balanced Growth & Evolving Neighbourhoods
Infrastructure
Financially responsible growth is supported in new and redeveloping areas, supported by the infrastructure needed to make it viable, such as servicing, parks and community facilities.
What does the Calgary Plan say?
- A residential land supply that is continuous, connected, sustainable and serviceable.
- Infrastructure is planned to accommodate growth with investment prioritized in redeveloping areas.
- Financially sustainable growth decisions follow City policies, and their impacts are tracked.
- A strong industrial sector supports jobs, services and tax revenue, contributing to long-term economic resilience.
- Plans address growth impacts on nature, heritage, mobility, utilities and community needs.
- Water demand considerations that inform growth decisions.
- Developments that conserve, reuse and manage water efficiently.
- The City manages water carefully through coordinated planning and integrated decision-making.
- Water, sewer and stormwater systems are safe, reliable, efficient and meet city standards.
What we heard from Calgarians
- Concern about infrastructure capacity and impacts from growth
- Worry about reliable servicing
- Want more of a focus on infrastructure investments
- More capacity at public spaces and amenities to keep up with demand
Related Council Priorities
- Reliable & Sustainable Infrastructure
Mobility
The Calgary Plan supports a range of travel options by prioritizing transit and improving safe, connected networks for walking, wheeling and driving. It provides direction and mapping to guide mobility networks and improve access across the city.
What does the Calgary Plan say?
- Safe and convenient walking routes with connected sidewalks and frequent crossings, prioritizing access for people of all ages and abilities.
- Safe and connected cycling routes with secure bike parking.
- Safe, frequent, convenient and affordable transit, with priority measures on the primary transit network.
- Green and connected streets designed for transportation choice and emergency access.
- Efficient goods movement connecting consumers, businesses and regional, national and international trade networks.
- Managed parking supply.
- Civic facilities, parks and public recreation connected to walking, cycling and transit routes.
- A mobility system that is adaptable to changing travel patterns and emerging technologies, while anchored in safety, choice and sustainability.
What we heard from Calgarians
- Safe walking routes to school are important
- Desire for safe, affordable and convenient transit
- Desire for comfortable, connected and efficient mobility options
- Concerns about parking supply on streets and in communities
Related Council Priority
- Functional Transportation Network
Nature
Calgary has a strong ecological network made up of protected natural areas, rivers, creeks and wetlands. The Calgary Plan supports protecting and expanding environmentally significant areas and helps The City identify and fill gaps where nature is lacking.
What does the Calgary Plan say?
- Supports the ecological network (including natural areas, rivers, creeks and wetlands) that is protected, restored, connected, naturalized and accessible
- Protects and expands the urban forest.
- Development supports the ecological network, integrates natural landforms and includes access to nature
- Public access to rivers and creeks also considers public safety , water quality and sensitive habitats
What we heard from Calgarians
- A value of nature in the city
- Enjoyment and protection of street trees and a desire for expanding the urban forest
- Protect the ecological network and integrate nature throughout the city
Related Council Priorities
- Community Livability & Well-being
Parks and recreation
Calgary has great parks, recreation and civic spaces. The Calgary Plan supports improved access to them and addresses gaps where these spaces are missing.
What does the Calgary Plan say?
- Connected, inclusive, safe and multi-purpose parks close to homes
- Accessible, affordable and welcoming public recreation facilities, amenities and services that meet community needs.
- Municipal civic facilities, including libraries and community association facilities, that serve as gathering places and are planned as flexible, multi-purpose spaces that fit in with communities.
What we heard from Calgarians
- Parks are a priority and access is important as the city grows
- Public recreation is important and gaps should be addressed
- There is a need for more affordable recreation options
Related Council Priorities
- Community Livability & Well-being
Resilience
The Calgary Plan guides how the city manages risks, such as heat, fire and floods, and guides resilient housing, development, mobility and public amenities. It also supports reliable systems for utilities, waste and emergency response to protect public health and support growth.
What does the Calgary Plan say?
- Natural and other hazard risk modelling, planning and mitigation.
- Resilient buildings and engineered/green infrastructure in flood hazard areas.
- Resilient housing, communities, civic facilities, parks, natural areas, public recreation and water/sewer services
- Reduced wildfire risk through vegetation management.
- Efficient waste management.
- Safe and reliable energy systems.
- Municipal facilities should be accessible, adaptable and serve multiple community purposes.
- Safe and functional emergency and operations facilities
What we heard from Calgarians
- Concern about climate change
- Focus more on managing natural systems in the context of climate change
- Fear of impacts from wildfires
- Importance of sustainable materials, stormwater designs and management that reduce flooding and excessive heat
- Support for a range of transportation options
Related Council Priority
- Safe City
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.
The team will be gathering final feedback to help Council make a decision on the Calgary Plan. This feedback will be summarized in a report back to Council.
How the Calgary Plan works with other City plans
We’re planning and building our city to ensure it is sustainable, diverse, accessible, equitable and livable. Some current initiatives underway work together to achieve this vision.
Home is Here:
The City Housing Strategy
Home is Here:
The City Housing Strategy
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.
Guide for small scale housing
Guide for small scale housing
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 Planning Program
Local Area Planning Program
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.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Calgary Plan help us achieve?
The Calgary Plan will guide how Calgary grows. It shapes where homes, jobs, shops and services are built, how people get around, and how communities are designed to be more livable, affordable and resilient.
The Plan will expand housing options by adding more homes near transit, main streets and local services. It will also improve access to parks, natural areas and recreation, especially in areas that need them the most.
Growth will be financially responsible and supported by the infrastructure and services communities rely on. Downtown will remain a key hub for jobs and culture, while businesses across the city will have the support they need to start, grow and compete.
The Plan will also help Calgary prepare for risks like floods, wildfire and extreme heat.
By connecting Calgarians to the homes, jobs and services, and opportunities the Calgary Plan will help keep Calgary a great place to live, work and invest.
What does the Calgary Plan do?
- Provide a long-range vision for how we will use land and get around The City over the next thirty years.
- Create clear, straightforward policies that provide certainty for developers, builders, businesses and Calgarians. These policies guide growth and development and support faster approvals, a diverse housing supply and a business-friendly approach.
- Simplify, integrate and align citywide policy that guides how we use land and how we move through our city.
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.
Five phases of engagement from October 2023- May 2025 resulted in over 100 in-person and online engagement events, as well as 14 online surveys reaching over 30,000 Calgarians. The final phase of engagement is slated for fall 2026.
How will the Calgary Plan affect Calgarians?
The Calgary Plan’s three goals emphasize what an implemented Calgary Plan will mean for Calgarians:
People
The Calgary Plan is about Calgarians, and aims to create a Calgary that has safe, healthy, vibrant places for people of all backgrounds and abilities.
This means Calgary will be a city where people have access to more travel options, housing affordability, essential services and public amenities.
It will also be a city that is welcoming and safe for people of all cultures, ages and incomes, offering year-round opportunities for recreation, arts, cultural expression and social connection.
Additionally, the Calgary Plan will support investment in and maintenance of reliable infrastructure so Calgarians can depend on it to support everyday activities. This goal ensures Calgary will continue to be a city where people can thrive.
Environment
The Calgary Plan strives for a Calgary that respects and protects natural systems.
This means that a future Calgary will have a healthy and integrated natural system, sustainable water resource management, and access to nature throughout the city.
The Calgary Plan will also guide progress on climate mitigation and adaptation, reducing costs of extreme weather events, and the protection of the natural environment.
Economy
The Calgary Plan seeks to achieve a robust, competitive and diverse economy supporting innovation and opportunity for everyone.
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 markets. This includes traditional business and industry sectors, new and emerging industries as well as the arts, culture and recreation sectors.
The Plan will also support Calgary's role as a regional hub with a thriving industrial sector, efficient goods movement networks, and the natural landscapes, parks and cultural amenities that attract people and investment. City investment and land use decisions will be guided by fiscally responsible principles, accounting for long-term infrastructure and service costs.
What happens if and when the Calgary Plan is approved?
If approved, the Calgary Plan will replace the current Municipal Development Plan and Transportation Plan. The Plan will be implemented through a coordinated set of tools and processes. At the community scale, local area plans (LAPs) and area structure plans (ASPs) will apply the Calgary Plan's policies to specific neighbourhoods. LAPs guide change in existing communities, while ASPs focus on new ones. Where no LAP or ASP exists, the Calgary Plan's policies apply directly.
The Calgary Plan will also inform broader city strategies and plans, such as those for transportation, infrastructure, housing, parks and recreation, helping ensure they work together to support the Plan’s goals. When development proposals are reviewed, the Calgary Plan will be used alongside local policy to confirm each project aligns with the city's planning strategy and is supported by the necessary infrastructure and services.
The Calgary Plan will be regularly monitored and amended to stay relevant as the city grows and changes, ensuring its goals continue to reflect Calgary's evolving needs.