Excerpts from this article first appeared online June 2021 in Avenue Magazine.
As Calgary forges ahead on the road to recovery, the vision for our future remains clear: to be the city of choice for the world’s best entrepreneurs who embrace technology to solve global challenges.
To achieve this vision outlined in our community’s economic strategy, Calgary in the New Economy, a vibrant downtown is required — a downtown that attracts top talent to live, work and play.
From a sustainable corporate tax base that supports a future-focused city to pride of place that retains generations of our in-demand homegrown talent, a strong core that is the economic and cultural hub of the city benefits all Calgarians.
The City of Calgary’s Greater Downtown Plan looks to reinvent the downtown beyond the traditional office-based central business district. It envisions a dynamic city centre with welcoming neighbourhoods, diverse housing choices, convenient amenities, expanded green networks, walkable public spaces and improved accessibility.
To learn more about what draws people to a city and why liveability is important to Calgary’s economy, Calgary Economic Development’s New Economy LIVE event will include a presentation of the Greater Downtown Plan, followed by a panel discussion exploring the connection between liveability, urban design, and public spaces with two other pillars of Calgary in the New Economy: talent and innovation.
Presenters and panelists include Thom Mahler, Manager, Urban Initiatives, City of Calgary; Kate Thompson, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Calgary Municipal Land Corporation; Chris Buckman, Managing Director, Endeavor Canada; and Francisco Alaniz Uribe, Assistant Professor, School of Architecture, Planning & Landscape, University of Calgary.
New Economy LIVE: Reimagining Calgary's Downtown for the New Economy takes place Friday, June 25, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Register for complimentary access to the event.
For more information about the economic strategy, visit the Calgary in the New Economy page where you can download the full report and the 2020 update.