Pedestrian-Friendly, Mixed-Use Urban Design
Applying New Urbanism Principles to Improve Quality of Life
Nov 3, 2008
Can existing neighbourhoods be redeveloped as denser, pedestrian-friendly enclaves without destroying the original fabric of the city? The answer is a resounding yes! Canada Lands Company (CLC) has just been certified LEED® Gold for their approved plans of the redevelopment of the Currie Barracks site in Calgary. The LEED Neighbourhood Development certification bestowed on the mixed-use project demonstrates that the principles of new urbanism work, even in a city famous for its frontier mentality.
New urbanism is an alternative planning approach that promotes mixed uses—commercial, residential and other types of development—in neighbourhood planning, unlike conventional suburban development which segregates uses. Diverse socio-economic levels within neighbourhoods are another feature of new urbanism, along with walkable streets, reduced reliance on the car and attractive streetscapes and parks.
Calgary’s Urban Context and Currie Barracks
Calgary has an unenviable reputation for suburban sprawl. Its footprint is the same size as New York City’s, but it has 1/10 the population. Efforts to curb sprawl have thus far failed; Calgarians love life on the range. It is in this context that CLC has been redeveloping a former military base located in the city’s southwest, a short drive to the city centre.
Redevelopment began in the late 1990’s. The first two phases of development, Garrison Woods and Garrison Green, were lower density, mostly residential projects. Both have earned awards for exemplary urban redevelopment. At Currie Barracks, CLC is creating its densest community to date in Calgary, at 16 units per acre; this is the final real estate project in Calgary slated for redevelopment by CLC.
Currie Barracks will be developed in a phased approach over 10 years. The planning team at CLC have recognized the desire most residents have for an urban homestead, but have succeeded in accommodating this expectation within a framework of new urbanism.
Designing for Mixed Use and the Pedestrian
CLC’s vision for Currie Barracks is of a dynamic community where Calgarians can live, learn, work and play in the same neighbourhood. Planning has achieved this through a network of sidewalks, pathways, bikeways and transit routes, all of which provide alternatives modes of travel to the car.
The design principle of connectivity is evident in the planners’ creation of more walkable blocks. Narrower streets discourage speeding vehicles. A web of inter-connective tissue—paths between buildings, and a hierarchy of streets, alleys and laneways—leads to dispersed traffic and makes for a more pleasant walking experience. Residents in Currie Barracks will be within four minutes of any bus stop and two minutes of a park.
The site is already home to approximately 140 businesses, which lease space from CLC on an interim basis pending redevelopment. By 2018, when development is complete, approximately 1,500 to 2,500 people will work in offices, stores and other businesses. Currie Barracks could accommodate up to 3,200 housing units on the 200 acre site.
LEED Neighbourhood Development
LEED Neighbourhood Development (ND) is a new rating system for certifying new neighbourhoods and land developments. It integrates the principles of smart growth, new urbanism and green building. Smart growth principles are related to those of new urbanism, and promote vibrant, walkable communities, a range of housing choices, and the design of environmentally-appropriate infrastructure and design.
The Calgary project has received stage 2 certification from the US Green Building Council (USGBC), the certifying body for LEED ND. Stage 2 indicates it is an approved plan under the certifying criteria, developed jointly by the USGBC, the Council for New Urbanism and the Natural Resources Defence Council. Once completed, Currie Barracks will qualify for stage 3 certification and provide convincing evidence that even in Calgary, new urbanism principles are effective planning tools.
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