Chinese Market Gardens Redevelopment
Chinese Market Gardens
The Chinese Market Gardens project is a cultural landscape restoration located within the central-west portion of Calgary’s Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. The project reveals the layered stories of this landscape by honoring the historic market gardens and the contributions of Chinese immigrant growers to the city’s early growth. We are also restoring the land by removing invasive species and planting native grasses and flowering meadow plants.
Project updates – April 2026
Starting in April 2026, crews will begin site preparation and weed management.
The Inglewood Bird Sanctuary remains open. Access from the Visitor Centre into the park will be maintained at all times.
Project background
The Chinese Market Gardens are located within the central-west portion of the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary (IBS). Originally identified as part of the 2017 “Bend in the Bow” Design Development Plan. It aims to share and celebrate the site’s history, especially the role Chinese immigrants played in Calgary’s early growth. From 1929 to 1952, several Chinese families, including the Koo family, leased five-acre plots from Colonel James Walker. They ran successful gardens that supplied Calgary with fresh produce and bedding plants.
This project built upon three main ideas: nature, culture, and education. The design will help bring back local plants and wildlife by removing invasive plants and planting native grasses and wildflowers. These plantings follow the outlines of the original garden plots. Because the area is now a federal bird sanctuary, we are using native plants instead of the original non-native vegetables to help protect the sensitive ecosystem.
Design
Visitors will be able to explore the area via a fully accessible paved pathway circuit. Key features include:
- Plot markers: Corten steel markers inscribed with family names to honor those who lived and worked on the land.
- Historical traces: Signs, features, and plantings that share the site’s history. This includes a “ghost” structure that outlines the former market gardens greenhouse and a raised platform feature that identifies the location of the historic root cellar.
By combining ecological restoration with cultural storytelling, the Chinese Market Gardens creates a unique space for Calgarians to learn about both environmental conservation and Calgary's urban agriculture heritage.
Project timeline
Benefits
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Cultural celebration and heritage
By sharing and honouring historically overlooked stories, especially the contributions of Chinese immigrant families to Calgary’s early development.
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Environmental restoration
By replacing invasive species with native grasslands and flowering meadow plants, ensuring the continued protection of the sanctuary's migratory bird habitats.
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Enhanced accessibility and wellbeing
By a new, fully accessible paved pathway make it easier for more Calgarians to enjoy the natural areas.
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Educational opportunities
Where visitors can learn about the urban agriculture and industry in Calgary’s past, caring for nature, and how natural areas change over time.
Project funding
Project construction is estimated at $2.4 million.
As part of the Bend in the Bow Design Development Plan, this project is funded by the Legacy Parks Program and the Centralized Climate Fund, with additional support from previously approved budgets.
Contact us
Do you have a specific question about the project? Please contact the project team at: ChineseMarketGardens@calgary.ca.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What’s going on with this space?
We are currently working to transform a degraded area of the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary into a site that honors both Calgary’s cultural history and its natural environment. This space once housed Calgary’s first sawmill and later, highly productive gardens. We are restoring the land using native plant communities and installing "Ghost Structures". These frames show where a greenhouse and sawmill once stood, and they create a hands-on learning experience that celebrates Calgary’s diverse heritage.
What are the wooden structures?
They are “ghost structures” – open-air timber frames built at 75% of the original historic size. They retrace the footprints of a former greenhouse and sawmill. They will offer seating and information, without building a fully enclosed structure.
Why not plant vegetables like the original market gardens?
Because the site is a federal migratory bird sanctuary today, planting historic crops is not appropriate. Instead, the project will share the market garden story through the shape of the landscape and signs, while also restoring habitat and biodiversity.
Why include a sawmill story here?
Before the sanctuary existed, this area also had early industry. Bow River Sawmills operated here in the late 1800s and helped support Calgary’s timber industry. Signs and displays will help visitors learn about the different chapters of the site’s history.
Will the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary be closed during construction?
No, keeping access from the Visitor Centre to the sanctuary is a key requirement. Some areas may be fenced off for safety or to help new plants grow, but the main commuter pathway and access to the sanctuary will stay open.
When will the project be finished?
Major construction is expected to start in Q2 2026, after the bird nesting season ends. We expect the site to be fully open to the public by fall 2030.