Uber's impact already being felt in community development, say local officials

While ride-sharing giant Uber has yet to re-enter the Calgary market – a move that could come before the end of the month, and dependent on city council approval of amendments to the ride-share bylaw – the company's influence is already being felt locally, and not just within the transportation industry.

The rise of ride-sharing businesses are causing planners, developers, builders and city officials to rethink how cities are designed. From developers designing neighbourhoods that emphasize walkability to entrepreneurs imagining alternative uses for parking garages, the possibilities are plentiful, said Chris Blaschuk, manager of the transportation strategy division in the City of Calgary's transportation planning department.

Urban planning experts offer tips on how to shop for your next neighbourhood

Is it a neighbourhood with a lake so you don't need a vacation cottage?

Or an upgraded, older neighbourhood with lots of housing choices?

Perhaps a community with a main street so "you don't have to jump in your car to get a quart of milk?"

When urban commentators weigh in on what homebuyers, first-time or otherwise, should be looking for when they chose a place to live the emphasis is on community amenities – or as Greg Morrow puts it, looking "outside the four walls" of the home, to the DNA of the neighbourhood.