Quote:
Originally Posted by ssiguy
I don't think I would want to live in Calgary but this idea that Calgary is a Canadian Dallas is way out of line.
Yes Calgary sprawls but has anyone every been to the Fraser Valley? Also Calgary just overtook Vancouver in per-capita transit ridership, so maybe it's Vancouverites who are the car crazy crowd? Also, how many km of rapid transit did Vancouver have at 1.2 million? if you answered zero then you win a prize.
Calgary also made some excellent planning decisions that Vancouver should follow. Part of the reason Calgary has the best transit network in NA for a city it's size is because it thought decades ahead and when building roads and new subdivisions they made sure that there would be room for LRT in the future negating any need for huge land acquisitions or expensive tunneling.
Calgary also choose to focus it's development downtown which makes transit use far more efficient than Vancouver which has a far more decentralized employment structure.
Also Calgary, in order to increase transit ridership, greatly increased downtown parking rates...........starting in the late 60s! This is why transit ridership is so high especially during work times and why downtown Calgary still has the most expensive parking rates in NA after New York. Calgary also has Canada's best bike path network. Calgary seems to have struck a good balance between transit and roads and their commute times aren't even close to Vancouver's which greatly effects quality of life.
Due to the balls of the city, Stephen Ave is the most successful and longest pedestrian only street in the country. Besides this they also put aside and entire other street for transit only and made trips in the core free on transit to encourage usage downtown.
The City Hall was built downtown not away from it so has become a focal point for many cultural activities as opposed to Vancouver's which is nothing but an office building. The city is densifying it core at a huge rate and many new downtown areas have blossomed.
The city hasn't allowed the wholesale destruction of some many of it's lovely homes and destroyed the integrity of many communities. All cities have their poverty problems but Calgary { or any other Canadian city for that matter} come even close to Vancouver's DTES.
There is also something to be said for money and Calgary outshines Vancouver by a long shot. Calgarians have a standard of living that most in Vancouver can only dream about
with lower income taxes, no sales taxes, average wages that are 30% higher with housing costs half of Vancouver.
I am not saying that Calgary is some kind of urban nirvana and nor am I saying that Vancouver is lousy compared to it. Vancouver has a tremendous amount going for it but this idea that Calgary is some back wards hick town is ridiculous just as much as this idea that Vancouver is some urban planning wonderland.
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Based on your never ending complaints about BC and the Vancouver area. I have to ask you why you bother to stay here?
If Vancouver doesn't offer a high quality of life (every survey on quality of life begs to differ with you btw) and Calgary is something Vancouverites can only dream of, than prove it by moving there and becoming the next Calgary Booster.
I've been to Calgary, My mother lives there and I visit there fairly frequently. To say it's better than Vancouver in much of any of what you stated is laughable at best. It's a lovely city no doubt, but it's transit system and road network make me want to bash my head in every time I visit.
However seeing as you think Vancouver is sooo horrible and has a horrible standard of living and a horrible cost of living. Be my guest and move to Calgary.
I know this thread has almost nothing to do with it's title but I'll make some observations nonetheless.
I grew up in Kelowna BC and Calgary honestly felt like a really big Kelowna. Similar climate to boot. But if you want a Vancouver centric viewpoint. I see downtown Calgary as a a dense experiment that I actually prefer over Vancouver's bland architectural skinny residential towers.
However the areas of Calgary outside of the city centre remind me of Surrey in terms of urban form and feel. And trust me thats no compliment.
Also ssiguy, Calgary may not have a DTES, but the DTES in Vancouver is not Vancouver's fault. Vancouver has a very mild climate and the poor flock here for that alone. Even then Calgary does have it's pockets of poverty and criminal activity. Try forest lawn when you visit next. Walk down 17th avenue SE at 2am. Let me know how that turns out ok.
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