Bridgeland Land Use & Development Study | Site Analysis Parks & Open Space Urban Forest
Open Space Inventory
Connectivity
Commercial Corridor Development
Housing & Built Form
Historical Figure Ground Road Hierarchy
Public Transportation DENSIFICATION
HOSPITAL SITE EVOLUTION
1910 LUMBERYARD, 1910
2
1924 SPARSE, 1912
1948
1970
2015
This figure ground evolution shows the buildings that were constructed in the neighbourhood over a century at 20 year intervals. It becomes quickly apparent when looking at the residential zone in the north that most of the parcels have been built on and now are being infilled. Additionally, it is interesting to note the growth and change of the figure grounds of the commercial corridors, specifically along Edmonton Trail and the Bridges and former hospital site. 1924 2015 1948 1970 1993 1954
Land Subdivision, Development & Building Permits
Calgary Zoning Bylaw
Housing Types S I N G L E
S E M I D E T A C H E D
F A M I L Y
6
Skeletal Road (>30,000 vehicles) Arterial Road (10,000-30,000 vehicles) Urban Boulevard Neighbourhood Boulevard Parkway Local (<10,000 vehicles)
1993
MORETTI FAMILY, 1924
T O W N H O U S E
M I D R I S E C O N D O
L O W R I S E C O N D O
H I G H R I S E C O N D O
1998
8
M-CG
Bridgeland Community Boundary
Natural areas have extensive tree coverage, however, coverage is sparse in the commercial corridors of 1 Avenue and Edmonton Trail and will need to be addressed as they continue to develop in the future.
Bridgeland has along its neighbourhood borders an abundance of natural areas. However, the interior of the neighbourhood lacks green space in the north, and connectivity throughout.
Flood Plain
Drainage
Roads surrounding Bridgeland experience high traffic and pose an opportunity should the streets, specifically Edmonton Trail be developed into inviting places to live, shop, and dine.
Bridgeland is serviced by two LRT stations in the south in addition to two bus routes that run along major corridors. These routes are most accessible to senior populations who need to use them most, however, far less so in the northern half 2011 DENSIFICATION, 1969 of the neighbourhood. These maps and images denote the spread of certain housing typologies throughout the neighbourhood. It is interesting to note that townhouses, low, mid, and high rise condos are concentrated near the LRT station, Edmonton Trail, and 1 Avenue corridors.
Housing Distribution Walksheds
LRT
Assisted Living Zone
Commercial
Cycling Intensity Building and development permits are outlined in this map by parcel, showing where construction projects are in the process of being approved. Edmonton Trail and the area near the LRT station see the most heavily concentrated permits.
The zoning map is similar to ground floor land use: mostly low density residential in the north, institutional to the southeast, and along Edmonton Trail higher density residential where the community has the most opportunity to densify. Should densification occur in the single family zone, it will have to be carried out in novel ways.
Existing Land Use
Walkshed (800m)
Walkshed (400m)
Walkshed (800m)
Bridgeland Community Boundary
Bridgeland Community Boundary
Bridgeland Community Boundary
MLS Housing Stock
Family Unit
Cycling Intensity (low-high) *Retrieved from Strava Labs
The first two walksheds show the distance a Bridgeland resident can cover in 10 minutes from the LRT station or the Starbucks on 1 Avenue. Due to the neighbourhood grid, Bridgeland is very walkable. The third walkshed shows the distance a senior citizen can cover in the same time in the neighbourhood, proving how isolated this neighbourhood quadrant is.
Run-off Flow (Community) Run-off Flow (Local) Contours (2.75m)
Ownership Rate
Annual Mean Income
The Strava Heat Map shows the level to which cyclists use certain routes in the city. Bridgeland is currently underutilized when compared to the Bow River pathway system and would benefit from the building of dedicated bike lanes.
Bridgeland Community Boundary
The floodway and flood fringe on the map are for 100 year event levels. Although most of Bridgeland does not lie in these zones, it did experience flooding in low lying areas in 2013 when pipes burst due to backpressure from other neighbourhoods. This should be kept in mind when developing in the future.
This map shows the direction water flows in relation to elevation. Water most often drains southward to the Bow River, however, there is a slight depression in elevation in the single family zone north of 1 Avenue where water can also drain.
Environmentally Sensitive Areas
Distribution of Open Space
Parking Occupancy
Portion of Population Aged 65+
Transportation Mode to Work Residential Affordable Housing Assisted Living Retail Restaurant
Natural & Seminatural Areas
$200,000 - $399,999 $400,000 - $599,999 $600,000 - $799,999 $800,000 - $999,999 $1,000,000+
Medical Facilities Schools Religious Community Services
Commercial Corridor Development Analysis
Bridgeland Community Boundary
Multi-use Parks
This map shows ground floor land use, and drives home the point that 1 Avenue is mixed use, while the southeast quadrant is institutional and the north is mostly residential.
Community Gardens
Edmonton Trail and 1 Avenue are the two main commercial corridors in Bridgeland. Their continued densification and development will provide a population threshold by which the community will be able to secure major amenities, such as a grocery store.
1st Ave Vertical Land Use
Walk.com Scores
1st Ave NE Commercial Corridor Vertical Land Use
Bridgeland Community Boundary
This information was taken on January 28, 2016. It maps all properties listed for sale. At this point in time, dwellings in the neighbourhood had an average listing price of just over $650,000 but there were also a wide range of affordable homes listed between $200,000-$399,000. Furthermore, the map shows that dwellings are listed neighbourhood wide.
North Elevation
Housing & Built Form Analysis
The neighbourhood has a range of housing types that are most notably segregated to single family typology north of 1 Avenue and senior residences in the southeast quadrant. A better mix of these types in the future will lessen the isolation experienced by the 65+ age demographic in the neighbourhood.
Residential
Recreation Areas
Real Estate Sales and Financial Institutions Retail Restaurant Self Care (Salon/Spa, Fitness Facility) Health Related (Clinic or Pharmacy) Office
Connectivity Analysis
Open Space Analysis Riparian zones are lands that interface with the Bow River. The City of Calgary wants to protect riparian zones in the future. High slope lands are undevelopable and can be found in areas along the escarpment.
Bridgeland possesses an ample mix of parks and escarpment. It is located adjacent to the Bow River pathway system. Despite this great offering, community parks lack connectivity and will need to be addressed moving forward. The urban forest in the neighbourhood is dense in parks, however, weak along commercial corridors where they could enhance the public realm.
ISSUES AND CONSTRAINTS
POOR USE OF OPEN SPACE
Open space is not being utilized effectively and is not distributed evenly through the neighbourhood. This is obvious in the north, where there is very little park space, and in the southeast where institutional land is being underutilized.
This map shows block face parking occupancy between 11am and 1pm on a weekday, predetermined to be the busiest parking period in the neighbourhood using data from the Parking Authority. Block faces along the 1 Avenue corridor, 9 Street, and Edmonton Trail are most heavily parked.
Bridgeland currently possesses strong vehicular connectivity and is well provisioned in LRT and bus routes. However, is lacking in public transport in the north, as well as cycling and pedestrian routes throughout that makes multimodal travel easy and preferable. These elevations denote the north and south sides of 1 Avenue, the main commercial corridor in Bridgeland. The south side possesses an excellent mix of residential and commercial uses, while the north is comparatively underdeveloped. This north side has major growth potential in the future, especially due to its sun exposure, making it perfect for patios.
ISSUES AND CONSTRAINTS
PARKS LACK ALL SEASON DESIGN Parks are not accessible year round, specifically the central park by the community association. Parks become dead spaces in the winter months.
South Elevation
RIVER CONNECTION
The Bow River pathway lacks safe connection to the community and is disjointed from the Bridgeland park system.
INTERCOMMUNITY ISOLATION
Bridgeland is cut off from adjacent communities due to major physical barriers like escarpments or the Bow River. Also isolating are major roads surrounding the community including Memorial Drive and Edmonton Trail. Additionally, it is difficult to access Bridgeland from nearby amenities.
ISSUES AND CONSTRAINTS
INTRACOMMUNITY ISOLATION
The community lacks interior connectivity. Parks are disjointed: the community lacks a strong, connected green pathway system. Seniors are also physically isolated.
MULTIMODAL CONNECTIONS LACKING
Multimodal options can be improved for the entire neighbourhood. Specifically, sidewalks are lacking in the southeastern part of the neighbourhood and cycling infrastructure neighbourhood wide.
UNWELCOMING COMMUNITY ENTRANCES Entrances in Bridgeland are considered by residents to be unsafe and also possess poor public realm elements.
ISSUES AND CONSTRAINTS
UNEVEN DEVELOPMENT ON 1 AVENUE The north side of 1 Avenue is underdeveloped when compared to the south block faces t hat compose the Bridges development.
AMENITIES LACKING
Population density is lacking to support amenities desired by the community, most notably a major grocery store.
BIG BOX INFILL
Some infill is not context sensitive to the surrounding built form and often takes on a boxed shape.
CHANGE IN NEIGHBOURHOOD CHARACTER
Development and densification efforts are infringing on single family housing in Bridgeland, which is upsetting some residents. One example of this trend is the recently cancelled townhouse project on the Delta West Academy site.
SENIOR SEGREGATION
Senior housing is segregated to the southeast and represents a lack of overall housing mix through the neighbourhood.