Best Walkable Communities in Calgary

Posted by Justin Havre on Tuesday, May 10th, 2011 at 11:21am.

Calgary is not yet considered by experts as a walkable city. That honor belongs to the cities of Victoria, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, and Halifax. In 2004, the City of Calgary Transportation and Urban Planning and Parks Departments, in cooperation with the Calgary Health Region (CHR), Calgary Injury Prevention Coalition (CIPC) and the Calgary Cardiovascular Network (CCN) came together to craft a master plan to make Calgary a walkable city in consultation with Dan Burden, the Director of Walkable Communities Inc., and an expert on traffic calming practices, access management, intersection design and other strategies for creating pedestrian and bicycle friendly communities.  With this continuing project, there are Calgary communities that are considered walkable.

Photo by table4five

By walkable communities, we mean neighborhoods or localities that are “thriving, livable, sustainable places” designed for walking first, cars second. In a walkable community, residents can walk safely and easily to the grocery store, schools, workplaces and community services or recreation centers. Active transportation is preferred rather than vehicles, and this includes walking, biking, skating, skateboarding, and using a wheelchair.

Homes are located near shops and public spaces where people can assembly, play, pray, or socialize with one another.  Most of the streets are designed for low speeds and are tree-lined. Pedestrian lanes are wide and walker- friendly, meaning, they are well-lit in the evening, guarded and well linked.

Among the Calgary quadrants, SE Calgary is rated as the most walkable, with a score of  88 (the top 10 cities have a minimum of 92 score but the average score is 49).  This quadrant is considered a smart choice for real estate buyers who consider walkability as a factor. The communities here include Acadia, Auburn Bay, Chaparral, Chaparral Valley, Cranston, Copperfield, Deer Ridge, Deer Run, Diamond Cove, Douglas Glen, Douglasdale Estates, Douglas Ridge, Fairview, Inglewood, Lake Bonavista, Lake Bonavista Downs, Lake Bonavista Estates, Mahogany, Maple Ridge. McKenzie Lake, McKenzie Towne, Midnapore, New Brighton, Ogden/Lynnwood/Millican, Parkland, Quarry Park, Queensland, Ramsay, Riverbend, Seton, Sundance, Walden, and Willow Park.

The focus point of the score is along McLeod Trail which is within walking distance from restaurants, coffee shops, schools, banks, hospitals, playgrounds, fitness centers, public libraries, and entertainment centers.

For upscale homes, you have the choices of Manchester and Inglewood with their heritage homes and access to shopping and arts district. For newer developments, there are Cranston, Chapparal, and Mckenzie Towne.

Douglas Glen is also another excellent choice. The homes are within biking distance from Southcentre Mall and the Trico Family Leisure Centre. The real estate area covers parks, schools, trails, and shops.  Nearby is Queensland where houses for rent are found near green spaces, river pathways and parks. Queensland real estate is bordered on the east by the Bow River with Fish Creek Park in the southeast. There are three public schools in the area and shopping at Deer Valley Mall.

Perhaps the best indicator of a walkable community is you see many people walking. This may sound silly but it is a fact: visit a Calgary neighborhood and try to count the number of people walking, biking, and having fun outdoors.  

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