THE RECIPE

You can view the presentation for 'The Recipe' below.

We also encourage you to leave comments in the forum discussion on NEXT STEPS!

Our project began with an investigation into the physical form of Crossroads -- both within the community and its surroundings -- including a guided tour through the neighbourhoods and a desktop analysis.

We found that Crossroads had many aspects that make it a world-class community:

• the community is well connected, with direct access to multiple main roads (Deerfoot, Memorial) and pathway systems
• there is abundant park and open space throughout the community - most of which is currently unused
• the communities of Vista and Mayland Heights are surrounded by a sea of industrial buildings with huge potential for redevelopment into better uses
• there are three LRT stations close by (Max Bell, Franklin, and Marlborough)
• there are currently multiple craft breweries nearby, as well as many opportunities for new restaurants and social spaces

Although the individual parts for a great community were there, we knew something else was missing. Like we’ve been handed the ingredients to a recipe, with no idea how to actually make it.

As a class, we held multiple public engagement sessions that included two small gatherings with primarily local business stakeholders, as well as a workshop with the residents of Crossroads. These sessions helped us gain a better understanding of the community beyond its physical form -- it helped us understand what makes Crossroads “tick”.

It turns out the sense of community and social aspect woven into many people’s everyday lives is what makes Crossroads special.

Almost like the special seasoning of a recipe.

We took a look at areas of the community with the most obvious development potential that would also have an immediate positive impact -- leading us to the old Firestone site on the corner of 19th Street and Memorial Drive. Our focus here is increasing community connection by adding additional access points to the Max Bell LRT Station, and redeveloping unused open spaces into flexible public areas - for things like outdoor concerts, farmers markets, and more.

Redeveloping this area will help Crossroads better prepare for future changes - in the community itself as well as Calgary as a whole - by increasing transit accessibility and converting unused land into usable social spaces.

Click the images below to learn more.

We also took a look at what areas inside Vista and Mayland Heights could be enhanced to spur positive changes within the community -- bringing us to the current location of Family Foods. This area has the potential to be the core of Crossroads with all its great ingredients and seasoning, it just needs to be cooked.

Our focus for this area is an improved pedestrian experience along 19th Street through the installation of better sidewalks, crosswalks, and bike lanes. We also propose redeveloping the shopping centre to shift the focus from endless parking stalls to pleasant public spaces and greenery.

Click the images below to learn more.

Now that we’ve determine what to bring to the residential parts of Crossroads, we took a look at nearby areas that can further enhance the community recipe. Like any great meal, the garnish completes the experience -- and we saw the presence of local craft breweries as the garnish to the Crossroads recipe. In our proposal, these breweries can be used to build a stronger community connection, and provide more social spaces -- bringing people together over food and drink.

Some of the industrial area surrounding the breweries can be redeveloped and re-purposed into new residences, amenities, and public spaces. The unused green spaces surrounding the breweries can also be enhanced and connected to bring life into an otherwise grey and dull industrial area.

Click the images below to read more.

Now that we've added a new Brewery District, improved the Family Foods and 19th Street shopping area, and redeveloped the old Firestone site we asked ourselves -- how can we bring this all together into one cohesive idea? It turns out the old CP Rail train tracks scattered throughout the community are the perfect candidates for redevelopment into parkways that focus on the movement of people, not vehicles. These old rail lines act as direct connectors from Vista and Mayland Heights all the way into the new Brewery District, with close access to all three LRT stations nearby.

Click the image below to learn more.

After bringing it all together we are left with The Dish: a new masterplan for the community of Crossroads.

Click the image below to see more.