Prices expected to remain stable

Continued weakness in housing demand will limit downward pressure on supply levels and cause prices to ease in the second half of the year, CREB® said in its 2015 mid-year forecast. Despite this anticipated retraction, Calgary's benchmark prices are only expected to decline by less than one per cent on an annual basis.

"Further job losses are expected in the second half of the year," said CREB® chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie. "These employment changes combined with overall weakness and slower than anticipated recovery of oil prices is expected to keep housing demand relatively weak for the rest of 2015. However, with the initial shock of oil price declines having dissipated, the pullback in sales activity in the second quarter is not expected to be as dramatic as the first part of the year," said Lurie.

Overall sales activity in the city of Calgary is forecasted to total 19,780 in 2015, a 22 per cent decline relative to last year, but only six per cent lower than average activity over the past five years.

From shipping containers to crowd funding

A continuous decline in affordable housing, along with an increase in the populations who need it, is forcing Calgary agencies to seek creative solutions.

"I'm looking for anything that can help us provide housing in a more economical way," said David Watson, president and CEO of Attainable Homes Calgary, a not-for-profit that helps Calgarians at a moderate income level get on the property ladder. "The more ideas we can bring to the table to reduce the costs of houses, the better."

The citywide benchmark price for homes in Calgary in June totaled $455,400, a figure that puts housing firmly out of reach for many vulnerable Calgarians.

Meanwhile, the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the city rose by almost six per cent in the 12 months leading up to April 2015, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.

To address the crisis, Watson's organization is looking at all its options, including repurposing surplus shipping containers from China that are brought in by rail from Vancouver to Alberta. Carstairs-based Blocks Modular, for example, is currently turning the containers into stackable living spaces at a fraction of the cost of traditional homes.

Big data key to improving traffic flow, say officials

Big data is becoming a big deal when it comes to city traffic planning.

In April, Toronto Mayor John Tory announced a specialized team to analyze the movement of traffic to help alleviate his city's ongoing gridlock problem.

Traffic planners will look at data collected from GPS signatures pulled from smartphones and other electronic devices to figure out how traffic moves around Toronto.

Other cities such as Amsterdam, Stockholm and Barcelona are already using big data to help ease congestion on their streets, and Tory said Toronto is eager to join the ranks of what he calls 'Smart' cities.

Out West, Calgary has been using data to analyze traffic habits for the past four years.

Renovations outpacing new home construction

Canadians spent more on improving homes in 2014 than they did on building new ones, according to a new report by real estate consultant Altus Group.

Spending in Canada reached an estimated $67.8 billion in 2014, reported Altus. In comparison, Canadians spent just $48 billion on new home construction during the same year.

While the number represents a 3.2 per cent increase over 2013, it pales in comparison to the 8.7 per cent annual averages that were seen from 2000 to 2007. Over the last seven years, renovation spending has levelled off to an average increase around three per cent.

Now that the southwest ring road is a go, the long-awaited community of Providence south of Tsuu T'ina Nation is finally beginning to take shape.

In May, the federal government approved a land-swap deal with the nation that transferred land designated for the roadway to the province.

And in July, both Tsuu T'ina and the Alberta government vowed to have the throughway completed within the next seven years.

All this means City of Calgary officials have had to dust off the area structure plan (ASP) for the adjacent land.

Plans for a new cemetery in the southeast aims to bring burial into the 21st century, serving as more than just a repository for the departed

Stretching over rolling hills, a 65-hectare plot of land adjacent to Ralph Klein Park is an idyllic refuge from the frenetic energy of urban life.

Yet the parkland on the edge of Calgary's southeast quadrant is intended to be much more than a place to take the dog for a walk amongst spectacular mountain vistas. It's the site of the city's newest cemetery, the first to be constructed in more than 75 years.

Yet to be officially named, it represents a 21st century approach to death, aimed at making an important-but-often-underused public space in a rapidly growing urban environment into a vital hub for the communities it serves.

"It certainly will have a more multi-purpose use," said Jim Klimes, the lead architect for the City of Calgary on the project. "We don't want it cut off from society; we want it integrated into the community."

Historic community offers compelling combinations

The northeast community of Renfrew is steeped in history; built on the remnants of an Air Force training base and Calgary's first airport, Renfrew is experiencing a surge in interest from homebuilders and homebuyers, equally enticed by the neighbourhood's charm and potential.

Surrounded by an abundance of parks, trees and playgrounds, Renfrew is bordered by 16th avenue to the north, Centre Street to the west, and Deerfoot Trail to the west, allowing for quick access to many parts of the city.

"I work in the southeast and it takes me less than 10 minutes to get to work," said Renfrew resident Rosi Hey. Hey has lived in the community for 20 years and currently lives with her family in a house on Renfrew Drive. She appreciates the abundance of schools in the area.

"My youngest daughter went to Stanley Jones from K to 9, and she just graduated from Crescent Heights and never had to take buses," said Hey.

New program launches to help Calgary businesses with disaster resiliency

Recent tornado warnings, several thunderstorm watches and the wrath that Mother Nature has been trowing at southern Albertans as of late is reinforcing a new joint initiative from the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce that aims to help local businesses prepare for emergencies and disasters.

This summer, CEMA staff will be visiting local businesses with information about how they can make their businesses more resilient. CEMA will distribute its brochure "Is your business prepared?" with supplemental information from the Chamber.

"Whether it was the floods of 2013, the 'Snowtember' tree event, or the downtown power outage of this past year, it has become clear that all Calgary businesses need to be prepared to be resilient in case of business interruptions or disasters," said Chamber president and CEO Adam Legge.

Not all inspections are created equal, say experts

Shortly after moving into the townhome his home inspector assured him was in mint condition, Faiyaz Sumar had to replace the washer, dryer and microwave.

"The microwave would stop after 20 seconds, and the washer and dryer weren't ventilating properly. The walls of the laundry room were dripping with condensation," said Sumar, who was fortunately able to get the sellers to replace them at their own cost.

"Then we discovered our master shower would run either extremely hot or extremely cold. I just assumed that if you claim to test an appliance, you would run it through a normal cycle. In our case, the inspector may have turned them on or off but didn't check for full functionality.

"If I had any words of wisdom, it would be that you can't just blindly trust what you're told. You need to ask what tests they run and scrutinize what being operational really means to them."

In 2014, City Council appointed an independent Ward Boundary Commission (WBC) to consider how the current ward boundaries need to be revised to accommodate recent population changes and projected future population growth in Calgary to achieve better representation by the respective Councillor.

With two possible revised boundaries, which would come into effect on Election Day 2017 (October 16, 2017), several Calgary communities could find themselves in a different ward.

The Ward Boundary Commission is holding open houses to hear from residents of Calgary on possible changes to ward boundaries. Calgarians are being encouraged to visit an open house between July 21 and August 4 to learn about proposed changes and provide feedback.