The City of Calgary has recently completed a new document titled “The Guidebook for Great Communities,” with the subtitle of “creating great communities for everyone. The document is 131 pages, hardly what I would call a guidebook. When I think of a guidebook, I think of guidelines, something like the 10 commandments. Not a book, perhaps more like a pamphlet.

Turns out the Guidebook is not just guidelines for future development, but in fact will become yet another lengthy legal document governing development in our city. Unfortunately it has divided the city in an antagonistic manner, at a time when we need to be united.

Peer Reviews

I sent it to a couple of urban development colleagues in other cities to see what they thought. Here are the comments:

“After spending 20 minutes reviewing the document one said “someone has spent a lot of money to create another guidebook of general urban development common sense.”
“It will not help some neighbours get past not wanting more density beside their home.”
“it appears to be a rather daunting read, I wonder who will read and understand it, let alone buy into what the objectives are.”
“The document reads like an elementary academic planning and urban design manual disconnected from Calgary’s landscape, its economy, its demographics and its values. As such it could be applicable to any city.”

“The document reads like an elementary academic planning and urban design manual disconnected from Calgary - its landscape, its economy, its demographics, and its values. As such it could be applicable to any City. The document could be the beginning of another friction laden chapter in the City’s relationship with the development industry, communities and residents. Hardly the kind of friction and tension we need these days.”

Note: Academic research peer reviews are anonymous

Creating great communities is complex. There is no formula, no checklist, no guidebook that will work for everyone. Creating great communities is messy and controversial. Every development site is unique, no plan or document will cover all of the variables associated with its development and what the neighbours think should happen versus what is best for the city-at-large.

Perhaps we just have to embrace that city building is always confrontational due to the diversity of expectations citizens. In fact, most great communities have evolved organically, not as a result of a master plan.

Link: Guidebook for Great Communities

Link: Does Calgary have too many neighbourhoods?

More bureaucracy

The name is misleading for sure. I have been aware of the document for a long time, but had always assumed it was a non-statutory (my bad), plain English document meant to help communities groups and the public-at-large better understand how Calgary communities will evolve in the future to become great communities for everyone.

Even the Mayor admitted the Guidebook is confusing and his explanation of whether it would become a statutory document or not , just added to the confusion.

The devil is in the details when it comes to city building, and the more detailed the document the more people with think it is the devil’s work as everyone has a different idea of what makes a great community.

Some will think a great community is one with lots of amenities and a diversity of housing types, others will think it an estate community with only large single-family homes where you drive to your everyday amenities.

Some will want to live in the City Centre, yet others at the edge of the city. There is no one guidebook that will make everyone happy.

The city already has the Municipal Development Plan (which was recently updated) that has all of the same content and is a statutory document. There are also local and area development plans; this handbook is just more red tape, more bureaucracy.

I question why the City of Calgary would want to add another document to the planning process. The average Calgarian isn’t going to read or understand the Guidebook, so what was the purpose. The NIMBYs will hate the document because it wants to add density to every Calgary neighbourhood and YIMBYs will love it because it promotes more density. There is no planning document that will be embraced by everyone. It will always be too much for some and not enough for others.

No matter how hard you try to create a document that will anticipate everyone’s wants, needs and concerns, a group of people are going to be unhappy, protest and appeal any new development they don’t like.

Link: Calgary: City Planners Rethinking Community Plans

Link: Enhancing Established Community Development: Remove Bureaucracy

Link: Enhancing Established Community Development: SDAB Reform

Let The Protesting Begin…

Given I have been a big supporter of adding more diversity and density to our neighbourhoods, I was surprised when I got an email from a Facebook Group called “Calgarians for Great Communities” who are all up in arms over the Guidebook’s promotion of more densification in every community, asking me what I think of the document. After reviewing the comments on their site, their big concern is City planners and politicians are trying to eliminate single detached homes in established neighbourhoods, which is where most of them live.

I don’t believe that is true, the guidebook is about creating numerous different communities that will appeal to different people. Calgary is home to 200+ different communities today, each appealing to the needs and wants of different Calgarians. There is no one community design that works for everyone. They are also claiming there was limited community engagement, when in fact the document has been in the public domain in various drafts for several years now.

Link: Community Engagement 101: You can’t make everyone happy!

Link: Why NIMBYs speak louder than YIMBYs

The City countered with this add on Saturday, March 20, 2021, trying to respond to some of the criticisms of the Guidebook.

Druh Says…

I found Councillor Druh Farrell’s blog helpful as she says “It is important to keep in mind that the Guidebook makes no changes to your community on its own. The Guidebook is designed to work in conjunction with a new Local Area Plan/Area Redevelopment Plan. The Guidebook sets the stage for what communities need to be complete, but it is the Local Area Plan that guides redevelopment in your community specifically.” So really nothing has changed? Does this document then create more confusion, more bureaucracy?

But I am still a bit confused as she also says, “This policy document will serve, exactly as the name says, as a guide to building great communities.” When I read “guide” I think of something that is open-ended, non-binding, more of a suggestion something that is a policy or statutory in nature.

Link: Druh’s Blog on Guidebook

Interesting image from Councillor Druh Farrell’s blog. Does the Guidebook help piece the heart of Calgary’s communities back together, or does it tear them apart?

Potential Guidelines

Personally, I think few guidelines might have been better than a guidebook. Here are my four suggested guidelines:

Calgary will encourage the diversification of all Calgary’s neighbourhoods in a strategic manner that better utilizes existing infrastructure, amenities and services.
Diversification includes a variety of housing types and densities, a mix of residential, commercial and institutional uses, better public spaces and increased mobility options (walking, cycling, transit and roads).
The City will engage the community on major new developments (pick a dollar value, or total square feet of development), however the engagement period will be limited to six months. And there will be no appeal process once a decision has been made.
The City will try to balance community needs with city-wide needs, but ultimately city-wide needs will trump those of the community.

In fact on page 126 of the guidebook you can find the Guidebook’s eight goals for the creating great communities. I am thinking they could be the guidelines and scrap the guidebook.

Guidebook: Goals for Great Communities

Promote housing options that are varied, inclusive and affordable.
Provide opportunities to access goods, services and amenities close by.
Offer opportunities to gather and participate in civic, arts, cultural and entertainment activities, in both public and private spaces.
Provide varied and inclusive spaces and facilities for recreation, play and outdoor activities close by.
Provide spaces that foster a sense of place and are designed for everyone.
Ensure natural areas, biodiversity and ecological functions are protected, restored and enjoyed.
Enable and support prosperity through diverse economic opportunities at a variety of scales.
Support the use of existing streets, services and buildings to reduce the need for new infrastructure.

Last Word

The “Guidebook for Great Communities” tries too hard to be all things to all people. In the process it doesn’t help anyone understand the City’s vision for creating a diversity of great communities to live, work and play - certainly not the average Calgarian.

I remember one of my university professors telling me “the challenge is to write about something complex, in a clear and concise manner.” When it comes to writing planning documents less is more, or dare I say the less dense the document, the better.

Full Disclosure: I have lived in an infill in West Hillhurst which has been one of the most active infill communities in the city for 25+ years. And one of the things I have observed is that the diversification and densification of a community happens over many decades, it is not something that happens overnight. I have seen the benefits of the changes, new playgrounds, more families, schools that are full and more shops and services - sure there is more traffic and parking issues, but it really isn’t a big problem for me.

No Formula For Creating Great Communities