| People often drive through city neighbourhoods without really seeing or experiencing them, but students and staff in the University of Calgary’s faculty of environmental design are trying to change that.
Once a month, a small group is exploring neighbourhoods on foot as part of Citywalks, a guided tour aiming to promote the city as a pedestrian destination. The walks take place in neighbourhoods like Inglewood, Garrison Woods, Mackenzie Towne, Stephen Avenue and Kensington, all of which exemplify a type of urban design that most people would define as high quality – they are pedestrian-friendly with authentic character.
Citywalks was founded three years ago by Dr. Beverly Sandalack, an urban planner and professor of urban design. The tours evolved from her conversations with students from outside of Calgary who aren’t familiar with the city.
"These walks are a way of familiarizing students with the city and with elements of urban form referred to in our urban theory course," she says.
Christopher Straka, a student who has been involved with Citywalks from the start, describes the tours as an opportunity to look up from the sidewalk or from behind the steering wheel to gain perspective about the city we inhabit.
"It is an opportunity to be aware of our surroundings…. We need to make decisions about space in that space and not from the confines of a desk. We could stare at a map, but there are things we would not see until we are on the sidewalk."
On a Saturday morning in February, the prearranged meeting place at a coffee shop in Kensington presented a chance encounter with Ald. Druh Farrell, an indication of the presence the residents have in the community. Farrell offered insight into the strength of the community, with anecdotes about active residents’ collective protests over potential changes to their neighbourhood due to the city’s growth.
Another perspective was provided by June Hills, manager of Kensington’s business association, who drew attention to the interlocking brick sidewalks, streetlight banners and locally owned shops and restaurants like Telstar Drugs, Lido Café, Plaza Theatre and the Hillhurst Hardware store.
"When you look at the kind of shops and services, you can live in this neighbourhood and never own a car and be able to satisfy any requirements you have," she says.
New development projects are also encouraged to consider their surroundings. For example, Safeway worked with the community association to design a store that would blend in with and benefit the community – instead of a large parking lot, there is an underground parkade that fulfills the city’s requirements, and accommodates both pedestrians and drivers.
However, Kensington is not immune to Calgary’s dominant car culture – Hills pointed out that Calgarians want and expect parking to be easy and convenient.
"It is quite a phenomenon – we are this young, fit population, but we like to park in front of our destination."
For the urban and industrial designers and planners and the architects of the environmental design faculty, Sandalack says the walks provide an opportunity to "learn to read the city as a text."
All of the programs in the faculty overlap in that they study place and space and the artifacts within – walking is conducive to learning because it connects the mind, body and imagination.
Although on the surface, Citywalks may seem like a historical tour of a neighbourhood, it is really a celebration and conservation of pedestrian culture that helps strengthen our sense of community and expands our awareness of our surroundings. The diverse group of participants offer a range of historical information, anecdotes and observations.
For example, Sandalack provides details about Kensington’s 10th street church fire with the thoughtful insight about how churches in Europe are open to the public and commonly used as places for reflection and refuge within the city.
In a previous tour, the group visited Mackenzie Towne, a suburb designed as a pedestrian-friendly village. Sandalack says that while the developer’s intentions were a move in the right direction, the suburb was not entirely successful.
"Walking in Mackenzie Towne was interesting because it was not walkable – you can’t walk from the high street to any of the residential areas comfortably," she explains.
In this city, defined by urban sprawl and a resulting human absence, Citywalks is a study of community, pedestrian culture and diverse neighbourhoods that recognizes the presence of and our contribution to communities.
The next Citywalks tour will be held Saturday, March 29 at 11 a.m., starting at the Second Cup across from Bankers Hall on Stephen Avenue (8th Ave. S.W.). The public is welcome to attend. |
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