Place Matters:
A North Calgary Project
Community-Driven Ideas
Place Matters: A North Calgary Project was made possible by the City of Calgary – Your Local Government‘s Council Innovation Fund and Suncor Energy Foundation in collaboration with Parks Foundation Calgary and Vivo. Place Matters aimed to discover what creates a sense of belonging in North-Central Calgary. In 2022 and 2023, we launched a community engagement initiative to listen to and learn about the communities’ sense of belonging, what makes a community thrive, the strengths and assets of North Calgary, and how we can create spaces that support us rather than add to our responsibilities. Along the way, we measured things like engagement, connections, and community activation.
The insights we gained informed a co-creation strategy and tool kit for grassroots park development across North Central Calgary. The project also helped to generate a list of priorities of community-driven outdoor space projects for the future.
What Would Help Develop Vibrant & Thriving Neighbourhoods?
Community Prioritization
The “North Calgary Prioritization Map” is a testament to our shared dreams. It showcases the power of community priorities and lays the groundwork for continued engagement.
We’re committed to ensuring that under-represented communities have their voices heard in the prioritization of existing and new projects. Find out more in the report below.
Key Themes
During the project, YOU, our incredible community, shared your values connected to outdoor public spaces. These values are the bedrock of our vision for North Calgary’s outdoor spaces:
- Connectivity: We should aim to connect community members with each other, with the natural environment, and with other communities.
- Prosperity: Our spaces should support local businesses, connecting them with our community and giving back to our neighbourhoods.
- Safety and Belonging: We should create places that foster a sense of safety, inclusivity, and community ownership.
- Health and Wellbeing: Every park and corner should be designed to promote physical and mental health and wellbeing.
- Maintenance and Sustainment: Our spaces should be crafted with longevity in mind, ensuring they’re maintained for generations to come.
- Inspiration and Activation: Outdoor spaces can be our canvas for art, stages for events, and gateways to nature, inspiring our community.
- Joy and Entertainment: Most importantly, outdoor spaces are the playgrounds of joy, where every moment is cherished, and laughter and memories bloom.
We are truly grateful for your active participation and valuable insights throughout the Place Matters project. You’ve helped shape the future of our community, and we couldn’t be more excited about what lies ahead.
What’s Next?
North Calgary’s Outdoor Public Spaces
A series of community-identified projects were presented, in addition to a framework to support additional project prioritization and community engagement. The latter is significant as continued community engagement is necessary for future prioritization at a community-by-community level to ensure under-represented communities are appropriately consulted in the prioritization of existing and new projects.
The current project list, outdoor public space priorities, and existing asset distributions can be leveraged to inform prioritization strategies, an example of which is presented in the North Calgary Prioritization Map.
The implementation of such an initiative will require the support of organizations such as the Parks Foundation, in partnership with other community organizations and advocates, and additional project funding.
Reports & Toolkits
Vivo for Healthier Generations and Parks Foundation received $100,000 in funding from the Council Innovation Fund in 2021 for the project A Strategy Model for Grass Roots Park Space Development in North Central Calgary, now known as Place Matters. The objective of the project was to engage North Calgary community members in the co-creation of a strategy model for grassroots park development and to identify priorities for outdoor public space projects. Report contents include:
- A summary of community engagement methods and insights
- Recommendations to support Calgary’s outdoor public spaces
- Priorities for future outdoor public space projects in North Calgary
- Community toolkits to support future community engagement and outdoor public space project development
Media Coverage
We are grateful for coverage of the community engagement process. For media inquiries, please connect with placematters@vivo.ca.
Project Lists
Future Prioritized Projects (2027-2032)
- Symons Valley Park (~$3M): Multi-use Park with rink, tennis courts, basketball, pump track, playground, amphitheater, and art in Symons Valley
- Kincora Sport Court & Gathering (~$250K – $400K): Multi-use sport court and community gathering space in Kincora
- Creating Coventry Future Phases (~$200K – $400K): TBD – Games Park / Nature Play Park in Coventry Hills
- VIVO Public Art & Community Gathering (~$500K – $1M): Mural, Active / Playful Art furnishings for gathering at VIVO. $150K in funding already raised
- North Calgary Pump Track & Gathering Space (~$600K – $900K): Pump track and community gathering space near Nose Creek / Harvest Hills
- Sandstone MacEwan Rink Project (~$850K): Multi-use sport and rink space in Sandstone Valley. $500K in funding already raised
Future Prioritized Projects (2027-2032)
- North Calgary Multi-Use Sports & Plaza Gathering (~$500K – $750K): Basketball, soccer, sport amenity with Plaza in Evanston
- North Calgary Natural Playground and Dog Park (~$300K – 500K): Natural Playground and Dog Park in Carrington/Livingston
- Destination Playgrounds: (~$500K – $1M): Destination playground projects with community gathering, prioritizing Beddington Heights
- North Calgary Youth Activity Park (~$750K – $1M): Parkour, skateboarding, basketball, youth-focused amenity in the area of
- Hidden Valley / Sandstone Valley / MacEwan Glen
- Future Regional Park Project (2027-2032)
- North Calgary Regional Park ($TBD): Strong desire for regional amenity. Budget, scope and location TBD
Connect with Us
If you are interested in learning more about the project, want to connect or share feedback or get involved with this initiative, email placematters@vivo.ca.