Comments on: Calgary’s Urban Renaissance? http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/2007/03/13/calgarys-urban-renaissance/ Exploring urban life through word and photography Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:47:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Christopher DeWolf http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/2007/03/13/calgarys-urban-renaissance/comment-page-1/#comment-25444 Christopher DeWolf Sat, 17 Mar 2007 06:55:05 +0000 http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/2007/03/13/calgarys-urban-renaissance/#comment-25444 Actually, I've been to Garrison Woods many times and with only a few exceptions, it lives up to many of its New Urbanist ideals. It's an infill development that is pretty well-integrated into the surrounding neighbourhood, which is mostly early 1950s suburbia, except for an older area to the north. The architecture is not native to Calgary but the dwelling density is at least fairly high and there is a decent variety of housing types. The site's previous incarnation as a military base actually gives it some gravitas, too, since many streets already existed before development began. Streets are narrower than the Calgary standard and they have real names like Ypres St. or Vimy Ave. and not the made-up sound-alike names of suburban Calgary (Sierra Morena Way, Sierra Morena Drive, etc.). Actually, I’ve been to Garrison Woods many times and with only a few exceptions, it lives up to many of its New Urbanist ideals. It’s an infill development that is pretty well-integrated into the surrounding neighbourhood, which is mostly early 1950s suburbia, except for an older area to the north. The architecture is not native to Calgary but the dwelling density is at least fairly high and there is a decent variety of housing types.

The site’s previous incarnation as a military base actually gives it some gravitas, too, since many streets already existed before development began. Streets are narrower than the Calgary standard and they have real names like Ypres St. or Vimy Ave. and not the made-up sound-alike names of suburban Calgary (Sierra Morena Way, Sierra Morena Drive, etc.).

]]> By: Ken Gildner http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/2007/03/13/calgarys-urban-renaissance/comment-page-1/#comment-25338 Ken Gildner Sat, 17 Mar 2007 00:39:52 +0000 http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/2007/03/13/calgarys-urban-renaissance/#comment-25338 Great read, Nick. I didn't know that Garrison Woods was a faux-urbanist development -- the giant garage that you managed to capture in your photo kind of taints the house's "TND" aura. - Ken Great read, Nick. I didn’t know that Garrison Woods was a faux-urbanist development — the giant garage that you managed to capture in your photo kind of taints the house’s “TND” aura.

- Ken

]]> By: Christopher DeWolf http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/2007/03/13/calgarys-urban-renaissance/comment-page-1/#comment-24491 Christopher DeWolf Wed, 14 Mar 2007 02:52:13 +0000 http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/2007/03/13/calgarys-urban-renaissance/#comment-24491 I really like that first photo. Reminds me of those scenes of Las Vegas or Dubai: skyscrapers rising out of the desert. I really like that first photo. Reminds me of those scenes of Las Vegas or Dubai: skyscrapers rising out of the desert.

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