Calgary Municipal Land Corp. and Calgary Stampede team up on Stampede Park

Already responsible for reshaping Calgary's blighted East Village into one of the city's most transformative neighbourhoods, Calgary Municipal Land Corp. (CMLC) is now teaming up with the Calgary Stampede to help energize plans for a "grander" Stampede Park.

Neighbours since CMLC began redeveloping the once-blighted east end, a newly signed memorandum of understanding will see the two companies collaborate on the advancement of Stampede Park's master plan, including the redevelopment the languishing Victoria Park neighbourhood.

"It is a natural partnership," said CMLC vice-president Susan Veres. "CMLC has a specialty in development and they have a specialty in operating a world-class venue and event, so why not help them (Stampede) with the realization of their master plan since [our] master plan is in full swing?"

Industry welcomes influx of rental units coming on stream

An increase in the number of purpose-built rentals coming onto the market over the next few years is good for Calgary and the communities they reside in over the long run, say experts

According to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.'s (CMHC's) Fall 2015 Rental Market Report for Calgary, 1,216 apartment rental units were under construction as of September 2015, a 53 per cent increase from the year before.

This comes after purpose-built rental apartments increased for the second consecutive year in 2015. CMHC reports 865 purpose-built rental units came on the Calgary market in 2015, bringing the total number of such units in the city up to 35,227.

Alternative forms of transportation dominates headlines in 2015

Joe Starkman was contemplating buying a car for his daughter while she attended university in Halifax. To his surprise, she wasn't interested.

"That twigged us," said Starkman, president of Knightsbridge Homes, the builder behind N3 in East Village, Calgary's first carless condo. "We started to do some research, and our research showed there's a market in that Generation Y demographic for which car ownership is not a priority.

"We're not trying to change the world, we're just responding to a world that's changing."

Zoey Duncan is what you might call an engaged citizen. Having showcased her unique commentary on Calgary life through social media and blog zoeywrites.com, it didn't come as a major surprise when she was chosen as the East Village's first resident ambassador.

Having now added the ability to survey city life from high above, CREB®Now caught up with Duncan to find out what's going on in and around Calgary's "oldest newest neighbourhood."

CREB®Now: ?How exactly did you come to have a rent-free condo in the East Village for a year?

Duncan: The Calgary Municipal Land Corp. (the brains behind East Village) began a competition earlier this year in search of an East Village resident ambassador – someone who could see the revitalized neighbourhood through the eyes of a resident and share it with the rest of the world.

What's on the horizon for Calgary's skyline?

Despite much of the news coming out of Calgary's downtown being of the negative variety as of late, there are still developments moving forward. With construction cranes still littering the downtown skyline, CREB®Now takes a look at five developments coming to downtown Calgary in the near future.

The Hat
A 28-storey residential rental complex being built by Calgary-based Cidex Developments Ltd, The Hat will bring the first new rental accommodations to East Village. The family-friendly three-bedroom apartments will offer everything that a family needs, including on-site child care, all within easy walking distance.

First breaking ground in 2008, the reviltalization of Calgary's "newest, oldest" community is now beginning to come to completion. Recently welcoming the area's first new occupant, the area is eventually expected to welcome more than 11,000 Calgarians to what was once one of the city's most notorious neighbourhoods.

CREB®Now takes a look at the rebirth of the neighbourhood, how it came to be, and what it will become.

History

The site of Calgary's first Northwest Mounted Police detachment, which would later become Fort Calgary, East Village was originally the centre of a then-fledgling Calgary. Later falling into decline, the area would be largely neglected, with the city's medical officer declaring it "skid row" in 1941. With various revitalization projects failing to take hold, the community would remain a blight on the city until the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation's (CMLC) revitalization project began in 2008.

Smaller condos gaining popularity in Calgary

Don't call it a trend. Yet.

Whether you label them micro, shoebox or nano condos, housing units under 500 square feet in size have tested here and proven popular with younger, inner-city buyers — and with savvy investors renting to that same demographic.

But while other cities such as Toronto and Vancouver have already offered condos as compact as 200 square feet, Calgary's smaller living units tend to sit at more than twice that size – and they are included in developments with larger unit offerings.

We've all heard that Rome wasn't built in a day. Neither was Calgary, which continues to undergo an urban renaissance. Over the next five days, CREB®Now will present a series where it has sat down with five influencers who have helped develop the city as we know it today.

CMLC boss follows his heart

Through several significant career changes, Michael Brown has always taken to heart his mother's advice growing up: "I don't care what you do; just make a difference."

As president and CEO of Calgary Municipal Land Corp. (CMLC) since 2011, Brown is doing just that as he leads the rejuvenation of the massive 20-hectare, mixed-use, inner city community of East Village, one of the largest urban re-developments in North America.

So how did this political science university graduate, who jumped into economic development and then helped build one of Calgary's iconic corporate headquarters, get involved in urban renewal?

In a city renowned for its freeways and sprawling suburbs, more residents are choosing to live closer to its centre — and even forgoing hopping behind the wheel altogether

Who needs to own a car? Not Jennifer Lee.

The 21-year-old moved to Calgary two years ago to study and work in the city's burgeoning IT sector. And like a growing number of millennials, she doesn't own a car and has no plans to own one soon.

While that may not sound altogether revolutionary, Lee represents a wave of change in a city renowned for its multi-lane freeways, suburban sprawl and increasingly congested roadways.

Quebec City is taking a gazebo music pavilion in the heart of their city and replicating it in Calgary's East Village.

"I'm honoured to unveil plans for a new public space we can all enjoy," said Mayor Naheed Nenshi at the announcement. "It is an honour to receive this gift, on behalf of all Calgarians, from our sister city and its citizens."

In 2008 during Quebec City's 400th anniversary, Calgary presented the city with the sculpture Do Re Me Fa Sol La Si Do by Canadian artist Joe Fafard, which was placed on Boulevard Champlain along the banks of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Identical sculptures can be found in downtown Calgary.