What is City Planning?

And why you should know. What is City Planning?

City planning is a journey. It starts with a big vision and narrows down through strategies, policies, and local projects connecting regional growth with changes on your street.

Urban planning

Is all about shaping how a city grows and functions. It’s the process of deciding:

  • Where people live: homes, apartments, and neighborhoods.
  • Where people work and learn: offices, schools, and institutions.
  • How people move around: roads, transit, bike paths, and sidewalks.
  • What spaces people enjoy: parks, playgrounds, rivers, and public squares.

Why do you need to know?

Your experience in your community matters and understanding how planning works helps you speak up with confidence. City planning is a shared effort, and your voice helps build communities that feel right for the people who live in them.

There are many ways to get involved. The Federation of Calgary Communities partners with The City to offer free urban planning workshops and resources to help residents learn, ask questions, and contribute meaningfully to shaping their communities.

Go to the Federation website to know more

Planning in the province, region and city

Some policies come from the province, and others are created by The City, but they all need to work together. City Council approves local policies, and those must follow provincial rules. These policies are connected like building blocks, with higher-level ones guiding the ones below. This is called the planning hierarchy.

Accesibility description

*Illustrations provided by the Federation of Calgary Communities.

This information has no legal status and cannot be used as an official interpretation of the various bylaws, codes and regulations currently in effect. The City of Calgary accepts no responsibility to persons relying solely on this information. Web pages are updated periodically. ​

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