Okotoks_GreenCross project by tokaahmed3798

BlueprintSouthridgeValleyforaSelfSustainingOkotoks

Preface

Welcome to Southridge Valley, GreenCross Retrofitting was assimilated research into this report for the design phase on the challenge of retrofitting sprawled cities. This report is the final report for the minor “Urban Retrofitting” at the Breda University of Applied Sciences. The project involves re-purposing a greenfield land in a way that is both sustainable and lifestyle changing. Southridge Valley is about defying the norms while promoting an active society in a homogeneous world. This basis for this research originally stemmed on this report outlining and visualizing the opportunities to battle urban sprawl.

A formal thank you would to the lecturers , Mr. Paul van de Coevering, Mrs. Zhan Goosen, Mr. Ed Ravensbergen, and Mrs. Ineke Spapé for their support and help throughout this minor period. The information provided through weekly meetings and through the lectures proved to expand our international mentality and aid greatly as feedback.

Lastly, we would like to thank our client Greg Hart for his guidance and perception about the current situation in Canada. His sentiments and vision were helping in the understanding of the Canadian mindset.

We hope you enjoy reading our contribution to an independent Okotoks!

Way of success 27

Inventory 21

Network 71

SWOT 23

Less car dependant people

Change Mindset 75

Green Invitation 78

Greenfield 9 Challenge 10 Objective 11

Okotoks Now 7 Expansion 8

Current Daily Urban system 22

vIsIon okotoks

Places to go! 60

Cross the Barrier 72

dIscover okotoks 12

lIst of fIgure aPPendIx

Less car dependent trips

Blackfoot Event 79 Active Night 80

Less car dependent places: 40

Public spaces 61 Park 64 Creek 66 Boulevard 67 Square 68 Corner shops 69

southrIdge valley

netWork 70

Goals 46 Urban Living Courtyard Living Organic Living

Concept 28 Philosophy 29 Strategy 33 New Okotoks 34

Transportation 39

tactIcal urbanIsm 77

Stakeholder 81 Growth Concept 82 conclusIon sources

New Daily urban system 76

IntroductIon

Temporary measures are implemented during all phases of the plan. The different social activities and events are shown here.

The core principles of our concepts are explained within this chapter. The ideologies behind the values and ideals of Southridge Valley. The link between the pillars of sustainability and the concepts is explored here, the connection is made clear and cohesive.

SWOT

Inventory

The project takes place in the Canadian town of Okotoks. The introduction will cover the base information and background knowledge on the area and the pertinent issues.

Vision

Vision plan is situated in this chapter, details on the vision of the entire town of Okotoks are outlined. Following the overall vision, there is a

Transport

The inventory is a collection of all relevant information that pertains to the demography, geography, policies, and history of the town. It will go over the necessary material needed to create a proper analysis of the development area and its neighbouring expanses.

Tactical urbanism

readIng guIde

Detailed Plan

Residential Information about the three housing typologies can be found within this chapter. Courtyard living, urban living and organic living are dived into and the specifications are discussed.

Philosophy & Pillars

Introduction

The final design for the greenfield area consists of the development area and the best practices suggested in order to improve the quality of life for the residents of Okotoks. This blueprint is a standard for what Canadian suburb living could become.

This chapter covers the analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that the town and neighbourhood faces. Analysing these together forms insight into the pros and cons of the town and how it fits together.

more in-depth visualisation of the greenfield area. The fundamental functions and best ideas on how to fix transportation issues within Okotoks.

The efforts to tackle the barrier are conferred, measures are given within this chapter. The transportation network is laid out and the street design is drawn. The new daily urban system offers insight into the change of commuting patterns.

As GreenCross Retrofitting we represent the future and all the possibilities of a greener world. We stand for a unified and sustainable world, join us on the greener side of life. Our team strives to show people a new way of living and motivate people to act into a more sustainable way. We, GreenCross Retrofitting offer others a better way of life, by bringing it to you.

Company vision

Setting an example for another way of living in Okotoks while creating an environment in which the citizens and the town can make better choices when it comes to transportation involved in community, an active lifestyle. Focussing on a sustainable & liveable mixed-use urban area with its own identity. Ensuring a unique and complete community that fluently transitions from the town to landscape living areas by preserving and using the natural elements of that area.

comPany mIssIon

Company goal

Our goal is to make choices for a new and greener kind of lifestyle and help communities at a crossroad.

6 Our Team Joey van baest 171076 manI balanI 173880 toka ahmed 172259 oWen sImons 171718 olIvIer groeneWoud 171746 luuk maas 161527

This study is being conducted on a Canadian town located in the Province of Alberta, named Okotoks. It’s situated roughly 18 km south of the City of Calgary (figure 1). The Town of Okotoks is surrounded by Rocky Mountain views, rolling hills and the Sheep River Valley.

Okotoks Now

Okotoks dates back to around 1893 and remained roughly unchanged through the first half of the century, with the population settling around 600 people. The Town’s economic upturn came in the late 1970s, when the population doubled to 1,928 people in 1976 and has continued to double approximately every 10 years. In 2004, the Town of Okotoks celebrated its 100th anniversary. That year, Okotoks was home to 12,187 residents. The most recent municipal census, conducted in 2014, shows the population has more than doubled to 27,331.

Figure 1: Map of current Okotoks

Figure 2: Map of expansion Okotoks

Currently the town of Okotoks is looking to expand (figure 2) from its current 30,000 residents to a boosted 90,000 by 2080. An anticipated increase of 60,000 inhabitants within the next 40 years. With this plan for increased population, there is a dire need for developed land. The town is planning to expand its borders to accommodate the influx of people. Several new developments are already in progress such as Windwalks, a mainly residential area located to the south east of town.

Expansion

It’s located to the south of Okotoks, its isolated/separated from the main town by the intersection of Highways 7 and Highway 2. The area shares its eastern border with a new development by the name of Wind walks.

The Greenfield area is similar to many of the future expansion plots, it’s mainly grassland that is relatively untouched and rather unused. The area at the moment is barren which allows much leeway in terms of development. The Greenfield area is home to a body of water situated in the south and a ravine water structure in the north.

A Greenfield Project refers to an area that has been untouched. This almost completely empty plot of land to the south of Okotoks is measured at roughly 120 hectares. The area is home to 16 properties that are situated around. It’s included in the current expansion plan that the town has put in place.

On the other side of the highway, a commercial zone of the town can be found. There are no pedestrian crossings across this highway, thus ensuring a busy road that is mainly used by motorized traffic.

Greenfield

The town of Okotoks can be described as bedroom community, where most inhabitants live in town but work elsewhere. Because the majority of people commute to work every day, car dependency is at an all-time high. The town’s infrastructure is mainly based around the car as an outcome of the American car industry, clustered layout of services and destinations combined with car centric mindsets. This made using the car very appealing for the inhabitants of Okotoks and resulted in wide streets and big parking lots. Car centric mindsets have completely taken over how infrastructure is made and who it appeals to. The town is also very homogeneous, in which the suburb lifestyle of isolated living has taken over. This is an ever-growing issue not just in Okotoks but in suburbs all over North America. (Figure 3)

Challenge

There is a dire need of developed land, necessary hosing to grow alongside the population of the town. Now more than ever the sustainability of urban area and cities must deal with big challenges. Not only problems relating to rapid urbanization, congestion, pollution, health issues, other forms of environmental threats, lack of sustainable resources but much more problems we can’t even image. Although Okotoks isn’t that big of a city, it will be bigger in the future and so it will have to deal with some of a city’s challenges. So how can we tackle this?

Figure 3: Okotoks’ urban sprawl

Help Okotoks to find a new example of a new neighbourhood that could deal with population growth and expanding by designing a plan for a more sustainable Okotoks. The vision for the Greenfield area is to design a plan that is not just a cohesive community but also contributes to the community of Okotoks as a whole. Taking into account what exactly the town wants to improve on themselves but also the issues that stand out to us as experts (Brinda, 2018).

• Embracing Innovation and Sustainability

• Creating a Socially Balanced & Vibrant Environment

•Preserving Historical Identity Setting an Example

•Increase Available Services

•Creating a Unified Active Community

Objective

Therefore, Our Goals is to:

The aim of this project is to come up with a plan in which we can be a blueprint that influence the urban sprawl and reduce car dependency by changing urban developments and influencing citizen behaviour. We want to motive people to make more sustainable choices. Furthermore, GreenCross wants to create a new identity for the town of Okotoks and bring it out of its shell of being a bedroom community. Giving it a unique brand while also increasing its sustainability along the way.

hoW can greenfIeld be bluePrInt for a sustaInable and actIve communIty?

With Our special company for Okotoks being:

In order to solve these issues, we have set up the following research question:

Discover Okotoks

BackgroundHistoryInformation&Tribe

History

During the pre-colonial era, the Blackfoot Nation was semi-nomadic, moving with the bison herds while taking the seasons and weather into account. They mainly branded themselves as hunters and warriors. They interacted first with British settlers by getting into the fur trade. By the 18th century, the Blackfoot population was nearing the 18,000’s. This number was significantly reduced by wars and disease brought by the Europeans.

Heritage Preservation

The tribe was granted a reserve, which they called Siksika 146. It’s located to the east of Okotoks, roughly 90 km from Calgary. The reserve is the second largest in First Nations reserve in Canada, spanning around 700 km² (186,000 acres).

The Blackfoot people lived sustainably, going back to their roots and core beliefs is an inspiration of what society could be like once more. Living not with next to nature but in it, to use all the elements around you while braving all the seasonal changes. The Siksika people currently have a growing population, this has caused issues with granting people financial sovereignty. Blackfoot history is primarily orally passed on through the generations.

The Blackfoot Confederacy consisted of 3 different tribes, the Siksika (Blackfoot), Piikani (The Peigan) and Kainai (The Bloods). The word “Siksika” translates to “Blackfoot” in their native language which is part of the Algonquian linguistic group. Sik (black) and iká (foot). They were called Blackfoot because of their black moccasins.

Story of the Rock:

“One hot summer day, Napi, the supernatural trickster of the Blackfoot peoples, rested on the rock because the day was warm and he was tired. He spread his robe on the rock, telling the rock to keep the robe in return for letting Napi rest there. Suddenly, the weather changed and Napi became cold as the wind whistled and the rain fell. Napi asked the rock to return his robe, but the rock refused. Napi got mad and just took the clothing. As he strolled away, he heard a loud noise and turning, he saw the rock was rolling after him. Napi ran for his life. The deer, the bison and the pronghorn sheep were Napi’s friends, and they tried to stop the rock by running in front of it. The rock rolled over them. Napi’s last chance was to call on the bats for help. Fortunately, they did better than their hoofed neighbours did, and by diving at the rock and colliding with it, one of them finally hit the rock just right and it broke into two pieces.”

History

Figure 4: Okotoks Rock

Inventory Averages of inhabitants from Okotoks

Figure 5:

Demographic

At present, Okotoks, has a population of 28,881 people. In the last two censuses, its populations grew by 4,370 people, an average growth rate of 3.57% per year from 2011 to 2016. And its expected to increase into 90,000 by 2080. The population is an important metric for economic developers to measure their economic health and investment attraction. Businesses also use this as a metric for market size when evaluating start-up, expansion or relocation decisions. Okotoks is one of Alberta’s family friendly communities and has one youngest average population ages in the Province of Alberta at 34.6 years of age (figure 5). Majority of the population are married, making up 57.75 per cent of the population. Having a married population is highly beneficial to Okotoks, as married couples usually bring in larger incomes. Most people in Okotoks have completed a high school education. Coming in second, 25.06% of inhabitants say they have completed a university degree. (Townfolio, In2017)Okotoks the median household income is $116,163 per year. The median household income in Okotoks is greater than the national household median income in 2015. (townfolio, 2017)

Unmaintained Facilities

Schools are well facilitated in the town of Okotoks. There are mainly elementary and secondary schools, these can be found scattered around town. This educational factor is what has made Okotoks a nice place to live in for families with children. Okotoks is a sports hub for baseball, with an indoor and outdoor training facility as well as a baseball school (figure 7)

Okotoks has had some trouble covering the cost of services that are required to meet the demand. Because most of the town is low density and sprawled, the maintenance of those services is expensive. Lower density results in higher long-term costs and then the expenditures are not being covered by the revenues of local services. They are often covered by money from residents through taxation. This situation leaves Okotoks struggling to pay for services like infrastructure, sewers, emergency responders, medics and police that are required to keep a community running. This daily commute not only affects traffic flow, but also increases greenhouse gas emissions. Which in turn affects Okotoks’ local economy and quality of life, as people have less time and money to spend in the community. (Brinda, 2018).

Bedroom community

SchoolsRestaurantsBanksHealthcareShops&ensurance

Many people live in Okotoks and work elsewhere. Over 6,910 people in Okotoks commute out of town for work. Okotoks is a desirable place to live because it’s within a reasonable commute distance to Calgary. Only 3,935 people currently work locally in Okotoks. Although the town’s main industries are retail and construction, this daily out-pour of people can have a significant impact on local businesses and the vibrancy of the Okotoks community. Okotoks at the moment is not an attractive place for businesses, most of the local jobs provide only local services. Several people are also employed in health care, professional services, resource extraction, education, and public administration. (Place in Canada, 2012)

Inventory

Figure 6: Facilities Map

Legenda

Clustered centres are located around the main road in Okotoks (Figure 7). These centres provide all kinds of services, ranging from supermarkets, restaurants and hardware stores to car garages. Although these are very assessable by cars, the large parking lots are not attractive and are usually empty in the evenings. Okotoks has an historic downtown relegated for shopping and dining experience. Within downtown the Olde Towne Okotoks is located in the heart of Okotoks, consisting of a unique collection of businesses. In the downtown, quaint shops, restaurants, salons and mainstream services for gifts and services can be found. Okotoks is a progressive town with a vibrant arts community and the Okotoks Art Gallery reflects this wealth of creativity and dynamic energy (Place in Canada, 2012).

As Okotoks unemployment rate is increasing at a rate of 0.46% per year over the past 15 years from 2001 to 2016. This alarmingly increasing rate has weakened the overall the economic situation in Okotoks. The employment rate has been declining by 4.2%, as seen in the last two censuses, the town has an average decline rate of 0.84% per year from 2011 to 2016. Further decrease in employment rates indicates a negative economic condition in which job seekers cannot find employment. Although there are quite a few local services and business, these companies do not cover the unemployed population. The level of education of the population majority comes into effect, as the jobs available are not targeted towards those of higher education. These people have more opportunities in Calgary that are currently not existing in Okotoks.

This is in addition to lacrosse, soccer, hockey, curling, badminton, hiking, fishing, and three local golf courses. Various trails can be found in addition to over 800 kilometres for equestrian use throughout Kananaskis Country. Okotoks has a close proximity to winter sports, downhill and cross-country skiing, motor sledding and more in the region and Kananaskis Country.

Inventory

Figure 7: Map of the Facilities Calgary Barrier Barrier

Car oriented Centres

Declining employment rate

A big part of Okotoks is low density. As set most neighbourhoods are homogeneous and the clusters of services and facilities are often one level large buildings. Even the iconic centre’s is not any denser than the surrounding areas. This makes the maintenance of the city and its services expensive but is not covered by the ravenous of taxed for the government of Okotoks. This form of a low dense sprawling city is not sustainable.

Low density layout

Inventory

Homogeneous neighbourhoods

Figure 8: Figures of current housing

Okotoks has a lot of homogeneous neighbourhoods. These neighbourhoods are often fitted with only big three- and four-bedroom single detached houses (figure 8). This has led to increasing expense, prices have almost duplicated in the past 15 years. The average house price within town is higher than the average cost of Canadian housing. Most of the homes in town are owned, with that number being around 80%.

Inventory

Okotoks identity

Okotoks is committed to maintaining its enviable lifestyle. The town’s efforts reflect the residents’ desire to build a community that preserves all things about small town living while generating unparalleled recreation, education, and employment opportunities. Okotoks is an outdoors place, it’s a town that is not only connected to nature by surrounded by it. Rivers, meadows, rolling foothills, and mountains inspire residents to have an active lifestyle. In town, the Rotary Performing Arts Centre, Okotoks Museum and Archives at Heritage House, the Okotoks Public Library, the Okotoks Art Gallery at the Station, the Sheep River valley, and farmers markets can be found.

Public parks in town are often located behind the backyards of houses (figure 9). Backyard fences create blind walls in the parks, while houses are orientated towards the green parks for a more beautiful view, this benefits the individual but from a community perspective this isn’t optimal. It creates a lack of social control in the public spaces which can result in unsafe places. The enormous size of the parks decreases the chance of human interaction. Because more people in a smaller space creates increased chances of human interaction. The size of the park also affects vision and comfort within a public area, it decreases the sight of human activity in the park, which should give it a lively atmosphere.

Figure 9: Map of the Green

Hidden Green spaces.

The majority of the people in Okotoks are travelling short distances, in which most destinations are within 15 minutes (figure10). These destinations are therefore within close range but outside of their own neighbourhood community. There is a blatant lack of infrastructure for the bike and pedestrians which has resulted in high car use. This is not only providing for a car based daily urban system, maintaining a high private

car ownership, but is above all not healthy for the environment and the residents but the town of Okotoks as a whole. This daily commute does not increase greenhouse gas emissions and affects our local economy and quality of life as people, but also directly related back to the further development of cities, as the spread out further, people must drive more and have less time and money to spend in the community.

Inventory Figure 10: Car usage figures

Usage of different transport modes.

Car dependency

The infrastructure of Okotoks is almost completely based around motorized vehicles. The town has two main parallel 2A highways that connect Okotoks to the city of Calgary in the north. These routes create fast and direct ways to all the public facilities that are based around these highways. The car-based infrastructure of Okotoks does not provide an efficient or sustainable daily urban system. While the wide streets make for good car accessibility, it lacks other networks such as public transport and a complete bike and pedestrian networks. As the congregated, sprawled and low dense layout of Okotoks separate where people live from where they shop, work, recreate and educate create zones and thus results in people having to use the car for everything. This explains the increased use of the car and the high rate of private ownership.

The connection between Okotoks and Calgary is important, This is because a lot of people from Okotoks live and work in Calgary. Of these people around 11,480 residents in Okotoks are carpooling in a private car, truck, or van to go to work. Although there is a public transport service, it is only an on-demand service called Okotoks Transit which is not very fast or direct. The fact that there is no other form of public transport such as a railway connection, makes the highways within the city important in their connection to the highway that leads to Calgary.

Figure 11: Location of Okotoks in relates to other towns

Connection to Calgary

Inventory

Student (Teenager)

An Okotokian family with two children live in the south of Okotoks. Their high income allows them to live in a big four-bedroom single detached house with their cars in a garage, since they have no other choice all the houses are similar. As set most neighbourhoods are homogeneous and the clusters of services and facilities are often one level large buildings. However they don’t know who lives next door. Probably the wife is not working in the town facing a high unemployment. In the morning, He/she usually works in Calgary So they drive by vehicles to their workplace to arrive there. However, before they get to the office, they take their children to school, which is quite far from where they live. In the afternoon they return home after they have picked up their children. In the evening, they have no time for more driving to a restaurant or a cafe by car again. As a family they spend almost their day driving their car to and from different locations, which affect their way of living and the time they might spend outside to enjoy leisure pursuit which are even further to their home location. For leisure activities, there is a park, but it lacks in attractiveness and activities.

In the figure 12, it is shown that a student who lives downtown of okotoks might take a car or a taxi to the school in the morning since the school is not in close proximity. In the afternoon, the restaurants and cafés are located in a distant location so there will be greater distance travelled by vehicles. There is no place that they can meet up with friends without spending too much money. Thus, most riders spent their night at home after riding a long distance. The facilities are scattered all over okotoks, thereby making them only accessible by car or by the people who live nearby.

Current Daily Urban system

Family

Figure 12: Current DUS

To conclude the inventory into an individual scale, In the daily urban system is a small representation of the lifestyle of a normal residents in Okotoks. As in figure 12. It gives an example for a teenager and a family with a young child their daily urban system.

Based on the inventory, and in order to create the vision. This Chapter is discussing the SWOT analysis. It covers the analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that the town and neighbourhood faces. Analysing these together forms insight into the pros and cons of the town and how it fits together. The SWOT are divided into two section, one for Okotoks in general to see the big scale and the other for Greenfield.

SWOTEnvironmentalFactorsFactors

The main challenge that greenfield is a blank space, there is not much potential in the area. The current situation of the entire Okotoks has much more influence on greenfield.

Through the SWOT, some elements are picked out to create the main vision of Okotoks and Greenfield as well.

Economical factors Social

Okotoks has several sport facilities such as different stadiums, also There are plenty of diverse elementary schools in Okotoks .

Existing nature (Greenfield)

Sheep River & Riverbanks Okotoks

The Okotokian has high income in comparable with the other towns and cities in Canada, which means they can afford a high life standard. They are also s are highly educated with attracts a certain level of job market

On the government scale, the municipality has high ambitious toward changes and new development with their independent councillors.

Wetlands Shopping area Historic area Schools Strength

Okotoks has its own and a strong identity that can be used for creating character. They are also proud of the town’s identity by having the “Rock” and the Blackfoot history. The community and the people’s lifestyle is active.

Sport facilities and schools

Greenfield area is an almost empty plot of land that give the freedom to built and be free to develop.

Strong People identity

High income & Education

The people of Okotoks have a innovative mindset and open to change, that push the people to improve themselves and think out of the box.

Innovative Mindset

Space availability (Greenfield)

The area establish a good connection with nature and the river.

Ambitious Municipality

Accessibility (Greenfield)

Downtown

Young family town

Okotoks is a family friendly town with as it attractive the young families who bring the most income to the city and give the opportunity to provide various facilities.

The accessibility to the area is high by having the highway in the north of greenfield Stadium Museum

Bedroom Community

There is a big percentage of home bases-businesses, which means that the people of Okotoks are working from their home, running their businesses from houses.

Lack of diversity for instance in houses typologies, households, daily urban life, way of transportation and also facilities. Okotoks is serving only small local services, it miss the big retail stores.

Okotoks is a bedroom community which means that mostly people sleep and live in Okotoks while they work outside of the town. That leads missing the active life in the evening.

The infrastructure of the town is car oriented design, active transportation modes have to deal with bad infrastructure as there is a high car dependency

Car oriented town

The car dependency mindset to be expanded to the greenfield inhabitants

Barrier (Greenfield)

Existing buildings (Greenfield)

HomogeneousWeaknessofhousing

Setup of housing and lead to urban sprawl inspired neighbourhoods as there are is a significant lack of houses for lower and medium income like rental housing, social housing and shelters.

Homogeneous lifestyle

Lack of Social control

Home Based working

The infrastructure, the barriers could reduce the accessibility and the connectivity to the area with the rest of Okotoks.

Expansion of the mindset (Greenfield)

Neighbourhood setup results in lack of social control within area’ and streets and lack of human scale, as the layout of the street is too wide, the walker cannot navigate himself. The steers are car oriented as it is a speedy street, not pedestrian friendly.

The existence of current building such as a few houses and a church

Lack of activities and amenities has reduced social interaction between inhabitants greatly

Expansion of the city

It is one of the closest areas to the existing area of Okotoks which means it one of the first greenfield that needs to be developed.

Tourism can be used as Okotoks could be considered of one of the touristic towns, not only because of sport tourism but also agritourism, and that could be developed to give the town identity.

Location

The location of Okotoks that being close to Calgary that can be used for businesses settlement as it is close to Calgary and buying of ground is cheaper.

New Windwalkstrainstation Railway Railway

Possible busline Possible buslinePlanned developmentPlanned development developmentPlanned New school

Expansion of Okotoks and growth of population creates opportunities for different land use and neighbourhoods, that gives Okotoks many external opportunities to be considered for further developments.

Connection to the neighbourhood (Greenfield)

Development toward the right (wind walk) if the area can be used and connected with the plans of greenfield, Commercial centre at the top right corner can be used to ensure connection of graduation as mix used buildings will be realized in greenfield. Recreationalconnection

RailwayOpportunitystation

Location of Greenfield

Tourism

Decommissioned railway line can be used to increase connection with Calgary and surrounding city’s and increased accessibility of Okotoks. The establishment of the railway open the way for implementing a train station for passengers especially that Okotoks is not the only town around Calgary that has no train station which open further collaboration with other towns.

Okotoks is suffering from declining of employment rate that effect economic situation of Okotoks, and the future of the city with the population growth.

EnvironmentalThreatsissues,

Highway Barrier

With the expansion of the Okotoks in the future, the current highways will acts as barriers in the city which divide different parts of the city apart.

Unemployment rate

Car Oriented mindset

Gated community (Greenfield)

Greenfield had chance to become a gated community as location at the edge of the city threat the connection with Okotoks itself.

The development of greenfield increased traffic on the highways and makes the could decrease accessibility and connectivity of the area

Traffic (Greenfield)

The environmental issues and the natural disasters like the floods of the sheep river is a risk as well although there is no emergency or shelter houses for these causes and disasters. The sheep river in the middle of Okotoks forms a barrier between north and south of Okotoks and also this river flood in certain period in the year.

One of the external threats that faces the town of Okotoks are the inhabitants mindsets toward the vehicles if the town took the initiative to make a model shift change.

Way of success

The main aim of the development of Okotoks is to have an vital and sustainable town. Back through the history the Blackfoot were the origin of the sustainability, they had a simple self sufficient lifestyle. Through the examination of the weaknesses and threats that region faces an acute vision was drawn up. The town has been in dire need of multi modal options in order to face the threat of the car oriented mindset. The decrease of the natural world within town and the ecological vitality are issues that can be solved with looking back at what their ancestors used to do. While the strength in the town is the inhabitants identity, innovative mindset and current socio-economic situation but the their environment doest enhance the community feeling.

As these people were appreciating and value the social interaction and the value of living like one community, as they were living in tribes together sharing their resources and looking for each others as one society. These tribes were connected to nature, their main sources are nature related. They live in an open spaces and care about their environment. They originated in this beautiful environment and have evolved with the landscape for thousands of years. Blackfoot people were mainly self-sufficient nation and self dependent. The Blackfoot were coastal people, and when they travelled by river, they usually built rafts. They planted their own food, built their own way of transportation and their sustainable housing.

Figure 13: Concept of the vision

Concept

ImprovingProvidingDevelopmentsOkotokswithmixedlanduseNearbydailyutilitiesHousingdiversityformorelivingopportunitiesmultimodalareasandneighbourhoodsconnectionswithCalgary

Figure 14: Philosophy of the vision

start from existing green GreentowardEnhancegreenSustianableinfrastructurelivingconnectedtoinfrastructuremotivationactivemodestransportationEnhanceheritagebypromotingactiveoutsidelifestylesareasdesignedforpeople

Ecologicalvitality

Neighbourhoods and urban areas are designed to increase social Safeintergeneralizedcohesionlivingwithmixedtargetgroupsandfamily-friendlylivingIncreasequalityofnodesbyplacemakingEstablisingcommunityidentity

People Planet Profit

Working and living within

Main pillars

Create a self-sustaining Town of Okotoks

To layout a strategy for the future of Okotoks based on the new Blackfoot approach, the three P’s (people, planet and profit) have been used to analyse the sustainability of Okotoks by using local indicators that have been combined in the SWOT.

cohesionSocial Utilities & marketbussines

These pillars define the goals and aim for improving the sustainability of Okotoks that are based upon three main (planet, people, profit) concept. These pillars single out three standpoints: environmental, social and economic. The pillars reveal the essential elements to focus on while improving the sustainability of Okotoks.

Sustainability is not only seeking an attractive and healthy green environment to live in, but also focus on social sustainability that defines social well-being and focuses on the basic needs of living. Supporting the utilities and services in and around Okotoks that make it possible to live a sustainable environment is necessary.

Quality of public space Community Identity Vibrant Centre

Creating vibrant centre’s where there are great chances for social interaction in Okotoks by adding functions and services. This combination puts Okotoks in a position to set a living environment to influence lifestyles and the daily urban system to create system change towards sustainability.

Ecological+ Social: Community Identity

When separate the pillars already create a huge difference, however combining the pillars achieves the core of “sustainable Okotoks”. Additionally, focusing on creating a community identity, while improving the quality of public space and creating viable centre’s as shown in figure 15. The town focusses on creating urban places for equity and community prosperity, and as a town invests in people to push for a peaceful planet.

Figure 15: Combinations of the pillars

Integrating Pillars

By combining the value of the nature with adding utilities and services to make Greenfield s and entire Okotoks a destination and place to go for different activities. Based on that the quality of public space will be improved by including the landscape and give more quality for these facilities.

Merging green environment spaces and establishing social cohesion creates community identity that makes it possible for place-making opportunities. By having a welcoming, interactive and attractive destination, where the residents will have places to gather and connect with the nature within their own neighbourhoods or the general outdoors.

Combination and extra goals (together to improve sustainability)

Ecological + Economical: Quality of public space

Economical + Social: Vibrant Centre

By focusing on improving job market and opportunities within Okotoks, increasing the quality of public spaces, adding vibrant centres, and improving neighbourhoods into a social and attractive community, the identity of Okotoks will be improved. Resulting in a change of Okotoks’s currents status as sleeping town and turning it into a more active and attractive community to live in. Furthermore, motivating people into making sustainable choices in their daily live and transportation for a healthier and safer Okotoks.

Main Goals

With focus on neighbourhoods with quality of public space, opportunities for placemaking and mix used of developments for utilities and services in close range, the daily urban system can be improved. This will provide the inhabitants of Okotoks with places within close-range proximity that can be used for all people’s daily and activities that are attached to that. For instance, enjoying the nature in the green public space, gather and connecting in neighbourhoods squares and going to stores or utilities for people needs. Furthermore, increasing job opportunities within Okotoks decreases commuting time drastically, making them able to spend this time within Okotoks and on free time activities within their living environment.

Improving the quality of life. Creating distinctive urban areas and neighbourhoods that focus on social cohesion, a green and healthy living environment, will lead to improving the overall quality of life. A right mix of green, family friendly and safe Neighbourhoods, well designed neighbourhoods’ streets, and public spaces and Facilitating nodes for placemaking and areas for Sports, leisure, and outdoor lifestyles motivating people into a healthier and more happy life. Establishing good quality of public space, utilities and services in close-proximity and green parks for people makes Okotoks a more attractive place tom live.

Improved Daily urban system

Improved the identity of Okotoks

example for what is possible based on the black foot ancient life into a new and updated way of living in a sustainable life style is a large part of this vision. Doing this by establishing a new urban area that is different and unique in every way. To create not just a big residential area, but a mixeduse area’s that has all the basic needs the inhabitants of Greenfield would need. Constructing such an area allows for a mixing of different background and living styles. Setting up an area that is motivated towards healthy transportation and an active –lifestyle. Walkability is very important, while daily utilities, places to shop and places for placemaking within Okotoks should be implemented. A focus should be on reducing the time it takes to get to these facilities and services.

SettingOkotoks.an

AareBlackfootstheStepsintoGreenWheel

Greenfield, as one of Okotoks’ expanding areas has the potential to be a step into the future for Okotoks. There are several challenges to face when influencing lifestyles. The advantages of a Greenfield, is the fact that the area is mostly empty. It’s open to new foundations lain by physical hardware measures in combination with software actions and orgware regulations that reach our aims and goals for

Strategy

Step 1

New Okotoks

Vision Okotoks Current BusrouteHighwayFutureParkForestWetlandCreekRiverRiverExpansionplanOkotoksOkotoks/LakenaturalareagreenconnectionBusstopTrainrouteActivemodeconnectionTrainstationHistoricalcentreNeighbourhoodcommercial centre O ce and industrial centre Energy-neutral living Ecofriendly LegendHighdensitylivingbuildingMediumdensitybuildingLowdensitybuilding Figure 16: Okotoks Vision

Because of the urban sprawl there is a lack of social interaction between neighbours. To improve this it is important to create a greater mix of housing typologies. The way of transportation has a big role in this as well. By promoting active mode transportation and realising a consistent public transport network, people will be able to meet each other more easily. As a result, the historical centre will have to change as well. Making it more pedestrian friendly and restoring the train connection with Calgary, the centre of Okotoks will be more lively and have more vital in further expansion of the town.

There is currently not a lot of interest in the natural elements on development areas, see Wind Walk. By regarding the natural situation and maintaining the structures, there is a possibility to keep the green and natural identity of the outskirts of Okotoks. Through connecting these elements the town can create a green network inside their urban expansions. Furthermore, by transforming and building eco-friendly housing, Okotoks will be able to strengthen this identity even more. In the low-density area there are possibility to build in a more environmental way. And by promoting solar panels, this will be more appealing in the higher densities.

Vision Okotoks

Along the Southridge Drive there are expansive areas of commercial zones. This makes it more efficient to take the car, whilst the shops have more competition to worry about. By concentrating these commercial areas the identity and vitality of the zones will be stronger. And people will be less inclined to use the car, because of proximity. This way the town is able to create more smaller commercial zones, without out-competing themselves.

To strengthen the commercial areas it’s also important to create a more diverse target group. Okotoks can help this by creating a scaling of densities. Different housing typologies will be build as a result of this. Eventually this will strengthen the opportunities for the commercial areas as well as the residents of Okotoks.

Social:

Ecological:

Complete:

Specialised medium level centre Stores for specialised activities like building stores, car garages and stores, sporting and more

Adding identity and public spaces for people to stay with the centre’s being upgrading and having a function within the network of Okotoks, the next steps is to add identity. Something that does not only differentiated the centre’s in function, but also in feel and looks, creating an attractive public space to spend time in. Also with the goal to add identity to the overall town of Okotoks, as they have their own identity in public spaces.

Figure 17: Destinations map

legenda

Normal medium level centre Bigger stores offers al stores and big restaurants like mc Donald's and facilities like dentist, Nike

Network of Centres

Dominant medium level centre Hystorical centre with regional and city specialised stores and facilities for leisure activities

Adding function and destination

By establishing a hierarchy of centres, (figure 17) the overall network of function and destination of Okotoks can be improved. Resulting in a more organized market at the centre to allow people to organize and approached in their needs within one centre. Having necessity to go to one of the centre’s instead of the other. Therefore, in the future Okotoks must offer a network of two different kind of centres. one being a Low level of city centres, also known as (local centres), offering small scale grocery stores and facilities for daily needs and the other being Medium level centres, also known as (secondary city centres, offering a combination of periodical and extra periodical needs. the spatial design of this network can be distinguished as followed. The new spatial design will keep the three current similar size centres, apart from the main city centre of the second degree, which will become dominant. In addition to that several local centre focussing mostly on the daily needs and some periodical leisure activities. This improved spatial design of Okotoks improves the daily urban system as the three different centres support each other’s function.

First level centre (local) Small scale grocery stores, hairdresser, nail salon, bike mechanic

At last exists the possibility to restore the former train station, connecting Okotoks to Calgary for daily

Improvingbuildings.

commuters. This will also alleviate the pressure on the highways, and make Okotoks a better alternative as place of residence. by

Figure 18: Downtown

the connectivity of downtown to the rest of Okotoks is the next step. This is partially done by creating a more pedestrian friendly centre. But also the connection by bike is important. Currently there are two places to enter downtown by bike, at Veterans Way and by crossing the railway. This railway is hardly in use, so there is the possibility to transform it into a bicycle path, connecting the south to downtown via the current railway bridge.

The main part of the transformation will take place on Elizabeth and McRae Street. By closing the lines and sometimes creating new floors on top of existing building the density and closed feeling will be improved. Interrupting the main street with squares makes the use of the car less efficient. These squares have a shared space principle by which the pedestrian is equal to the

car. Implementing these squares means that there is less space for car-parking. Compensating this will be done by creating parking spaces at the back of the

the railway

DowntownDowntown

The main streets of Okotoks play an important part in it’s identity. The current ambiance is clearly dominated by car-use. The identity and ambiance of the historical centre can be greatly improved by redesigning it in a more pedestrian friendly way. In the picture below you will find a potential draft for this area.

Figure 19: Commercial centre

Commercial Centre

Although the commercial centres has high accessibility, the lack of attractiveness of these public spaces is dramatic and they are not for active modes as well. Not only the fact that infrastructure for those modes is not facilitated at all, but also the big parking lots with makes it difficult for access by walking. Seeing that Those public spaces are unattractive as well as in looks as in feeling and they are designed for fast in, fast out something must change. For example, as is done in this new sketch (figure 19) of one of the commercial centres.

This new layout of the commercial centre makes for an attractive environment inviting to spend time in and stay. Motivating people to look around, enter more than one store and even finding the time to stay and socialise. In addition to that motivating business and restaurant to open there to created places for people to eat and drink while looking at the central plaza.

Commercial centres along 7 highway

With the parking regulated at the backside of the store, with has created the space for a public plaza, there is an less rushed environment. Showing people that they are not so car dependant as they think. Also making space for qualitative routes into the public space for biking and walking.

Transportation

The focus of the report is less car dependent (CD) places, fewer car dependent trips and less car oriented mindsets. Changing the characteristics of current northern America towns, with a high rate of car use and a big car dependency. Witch can be seen in wide streets, large intersection, enormous parking lots and most car commuting distances within 15 minutes. Creating a more attractive town to live in, more attractive places and streets for people that motivates towards a more active lifestyle. Witch in the end influences them in making more sustainable trips, using active modes or public transport cause the car is not necessary required anymore.

Transportation is parts of people daily live an is essential for them to get to work and get to their destinations within Okotoks. Transportation is part of how Okotoks functions, de vitality of Okotoks economic position and the accessibility of the town’s activities, functions, and utilities. Now Okotoks infrastructure is almost completely based on the car. This needs to change for a more sustainable future, including an active and more self-sustainable Okotoks. Doing this by adding green modes of transportation that will give the people of Okotoks the options to make more sustainable trips themselves. But how are we going to do this? How can we establish this in Okotoks and how can we motivate the people to take those steps?

Less parking, more space for people Making educated land use decisions about the location of origins and destination based on active transportation, is not enough. Destinations need to be attractive and pleasant to spend time in. At the current stage, the big parking lots with facilities in the middle make it difficult for people with no car to reach the store. Furthermore, this is not attracting for people using active modes and does not stimulate them in using the modes. To create places that are nice to stay in, it is essential to change the current look of the commercial clusters. Sinply putting the buildings alongside the road or placing the buildings closer to each other makes the world of difference. As there are already a couple of stores in close range, This area can then be used to create nice public spaces where people get the opportunity to spend time in the places as they go from store to store or get a drink somewhere.

Multi-modal accessible Okotoks

By focussing on a complete and refined networks of biking, walking and public transport network, Okotoks can physically give people other option to not use the car. If all neighbourhoods of Okotoks are accessible by as many modes of transport as possible, the basis is set. Although this already increases the number of alternative transport options the citizens of Okotoks can use, this can even be improved further. by facilitating a shared bike and shared car system, that people can get access to on different locations within Okotoks, car ownerships can be decreased. Furthermore, it gives people the opportunity to use the bike without owing it and to motivate toward using active transportation. Of course, further development of transportation options, with new product coming into the market cannot be forgotten. It is important to keep track of these developments and analyse if they can get a platform within the future of Okotoks. these new modes of transportation must also be added to the mobility hubs within Okotoks, to increase the accessibility of Okotoks even further.

Facilities and utilities nearby To decrease Okotoks car dependency, drastic changes are necessary. Car dependent places land use planning decisions over the location of origins are based around the car, the first step should be made here. By basing the Land use planning decisions over the location of origins on compact city methods, Okotoks can motivate bike and walking as a primary mode of transport. Changing the current clustered, sprawled, and low dense layout and focussing on accessibility for daily facilities and services, job, and leisure locations within their own neighbourhood. Establishing mix used area’s with is an addition to peoples live as a large part of their needs are accessible also by walking a cycling.

Less CD places:

Main Priority:MainPriority:roadcarroadactive mode

Highways for everyone

Figure 21: Greater

Less CD trips

Future expanding Okotoks’

Network map

Complete and refined active modes network Improving the alternatives to using the car is important, because motivating people to not use the car when the infrastructure for other modes is lacking is a challenge. The mode of transportation is chosen depending on the obligations that people have and their options to reach those, Okotoks must provide good alternatives for not using the car. Making the car not required to access ‘lifestyle maintenance’ activities by investing in network for cycling and walking. Establishing a network that gets the people everywhere they want, in a safe and attractive way. Providing a network of fast and direct routes alongside Mayer roads in combination with secondary pass through within the neighbourhood.

Facilitating a public transport line also means that people will need places for changing modalities. Not only do bus stops have to facilitate places where bikes can be stalled, but some of them can also have a bigger function as part of the infrastructure network. As example a commercial centre alongside the 7 highway can be a place where people can park their car and use the bus to reach destinations. Making use of the existing parking lots and provide places

Public transport in Okotoks. People might not be able or do not want to use their car of bike to go to work the importance of providing good public transport options is important. For instance, for people that live in Okotoks and work in Calgary. As public transport now is on demand, this can be improved. By bringing back a public transport line that uses the main town road and connect the different neighbourhoods, people have the chance to reach other parts of Okotoks using public transport. In example when they go the downtown area to shop or to a possible future passenger train station.

Main ModalityRailwayPriority:roadsbusswitching station

Mobility hubs for changing mobility modes

Changing the main roads within Okotoks, from car only into a connection that is accessible for biking and walking gives people choices. As this road is used for accessibility of the different parts of Okotoks, everyone should be able to use those connection, including biking and walking. this way Okotoks can provide direct, fast, and safe routes that lead to every destination within Okotoks. facilitating an attractive and safe main route that connect neighbourhoods with facilities like schools, commercial districts and other daily needs. An example of this is the update of highway 7.

Less car minded, more active. Motivating people to use the bike instead of the car is very difficult. Even more difficult in the northern American culture, where the car is almost a body part where people cannot live without is. Where not owning a car in seen as weird and can that people do not feel that they can fully be participating in live. But this can be changed, by using a combination of all the measures. Focussing on creating places for people, locating activities and facilities on active infrastructure, and facilitating good alternatives. On this way people can feel like the can completely be part of the society.

Figure 23: pedestrian friendly downtown

Figure 22: Reconstruction Southridge drive

Less CD trips

Example of the highways for everyone

As the highway 7 runs straight through Okotoks and provides a direct route into the downtown, the commercial centres, other utilities, and services and later even a university, upgrading this road is a must. Upgrading the highway by adding bicycle and walking infrastructure along the road to create the necessary accessibility of these destination by active modes. As can be seen in the picture, in the redesign of the road, infrastructure for active modes is added as well as the number of exists and entrances outside of the traffic lights is decreases. As these parking lots are accessible by the streets of the traffic lights this update will provide better traffic flow and safer environment for people that bike and walk.

Less CD people

Greenfield Step 2

Building communities that offer fair access for all to services with active mode opportunities.

Figure Vision map

24:

Provisionplaces

Through the examination of the weaknesses and threats that region faces an acute vision was drawn up. The town has been in dire need of multi modal options in order to face the threat of the car oriented mindset. The decrease of the natural world within town and the ecological vitality are issues that can be solved with looking back at what their ancestors used to do. The problems that arise from a low employment rate are directly related to the problems related to the lack of services and functions Okotoks has. The main aim is to keep the existing nature, integrate it with a new lifestyle and connect it with the neighbourhoods to encourage the new residents to change their current life behaviour into a new active life through:

of a range of housing choices for various lifestyles and age group in Okotoks, Opportunities for increased private investment and business innovation

InventorySouthridge Valley

Improving the overall quality and surveillance of

blackfoot park

Activemodeshighway

N Highway 7 ( downgraded )

Eco-tunnel

Eco-tunnel Windwalk

Project area

Multiple centres

Multi scale of social Interaction

47 Social

Three core philosophies stood out in regards to what an active and sustainable society should have to succeed. The masterplan has brought all three concepts together to form a cohesive and self-sufficient area that is home to many new

By using the philosophies that the Blackfoot people live by, the vision for an independent town and pillars of sustainability come into a perfect arrangement. Bringing people closer to nature once more while slowly adjusting Canadian communities to higher density living is what this design aims to accomplish.

community gardens, they complement each other to create the sustainable green network than covers the development area. The diverse commercial and social opportunities found in the public spaces of the 3 areas are what add to the public space network which connects them into a unified one.

Ecological

connecting

Different Densities

Live in the nature InfrastructureBlue/Green

The plan requires the difference of typologies found in the 3 different areas in order to create a cohesive and social society. The green infrastructure spans the areas, from the Park to the Creek to the Complete Ecological Social Complete Social Complete

Ecological

has divided the greenfield area into 3 sections, each with their own unique elements and atmosphere. They are similar in the fact that they each are a unique combination of natural elements, housing, commercial buildings, and attractive public spaces. They are co-dependent, they rely on each other to remain self-reliant. The density variations are what set them apart, they focus of targeting people of different mindsets while bringing them together into one community.

transportSlowEncouragingmodeof Goal

The area designed to fit 2300 houses to fit around 8000 Okotokians with mixed densities and identities, but all of them are connected to nature, new and added value to Okotoks, increase the social inclusion and social interaction between the inhabitant.

Theopportunities.masterplan

StepEnvironmentsLiving3

Encourage

• Good streetscape integration and enhanced public space surveillance

Mixed density in Southridge is residential development that contains a mix of housing types such as single dwellings and multi units and a variety of development forms such as size and height. In the North East of the greenfield is the higher dense. then in the middle of the area is the middle density that has a balance between the nature and the housing while the south of the area are the lowest density houses that are connected to nature and give the area the sense of the nature.

• High quality building design which contributes to the function, attractiveness and conviviality of an Density map

Figurearea25:

Mixed density residential development will be developed in an integrated way with connected street networks, mixed use land uses and public transport to ensure:

• Walking, cycling and public transport is planned and supported

Organic living (Low density)

For new residential developments mixed density is encouraged as it provides housing choice, which promotes a more diverse community and caters for various stages of life, maximises infrastructure and land, and supports the provision of public transport (Places, 2009).

Courtyard living (Medium density)

• Adequate public areas are provided within walking distance, including open space and a variety of places for social interaction.

The Southridge Valley development plan is relatively sprawled, in order to not stray too far from the resident’s comfort zones. Looking at the current town of Okotoks, the sprawl includes primarily residential buildings, with the town centre singling out the commercial services that the town provides. Where as in the new development, a mix of services and functions are scattered throughout the area. This area is not as dense as it could be, however the provision of the daily services within walking distance combats the sprawl issues that Okotoks faces. The layout is close enough to what the inhabitants are used to but pushes them to think about future and other possibilities.

• Key destinations, such as shops, schools are within walking distance

DensityUrbanmapliving (High density)

Densify around public spaces (Higher density)

Density

LivingUrban

(Sighthill Regeneration, 2015)

The high density mixed use area helps to get the student housing, low income, offices in the area close by the boulevard that provide facilities for them. It create an opportunity to include the low and medium income inhabitants and also elderly people to an area which leads to adopting various residents in one place and prevent social excluding.

Social

Ecological

Outstandingly, Okotoks was missing the rent houses, affordable housing for the lower and medium income people and student houses. Which leads them to travel further than the downtown to find cheaper houses, which it end up to increasing the urban sprawl. Thus, by including them in Southridge Valley and provide them with the facilities needed, makes Southridge Valley added value to the town, and a places to look forward to live in for these target groups.

Urban and city feeling Affordable & mixed use High Density

The student housing and rent houses are created based on the ecological pillar as they are managed to have a direct access to the public nature and the green infrastructure. The view on the river is provided as well. These dense housing is connected to solar energy and thermal window to save 12% on whole house energy consumption (Laboratory, 2013). The foot print of the houses is the lowest which make it sustainable houses.

Urban Living

Complete

These houses are 1190 high density houses which Okotoks lack of recently. These typologies are designed to fit the resident who has low income like students especially from D’arcy University and providing them by the needed facilities, night activities and healthy environment. The identity of these housing group that they have quality of nature, by having the park and quality of the boulevard where they are connected to wind walk neighbourhood. The reference of these houses is Sighthill in Glasgow by Architecture Collective (Sighthill Regeneration, 2015) as these new blocks respond to the scale of the existing flats and provide complete streets with clear definition of public and private space by having high dense houses.

Increasing density Research evidence shows that mixed land use is a key factor influencing neighbourhood walkability, travel costs and fuel use. In low density neighbourhoods with a few local destinations, fewer people walk and more people drive. From a health perspective, even a slight increase in physical activity and the prevention of weight gain can lead to significant community benefits. Low density neighbourhoods result in activities being spread out resulting in car dependence and geographic inequity (including stratification of the population) as wealthier people move to locations that minimise their travel. (Healthy spaces and places, 2009)

Inside the high density neighbourhood there is also room for mixed use functions. This means that there is a lot of interaction between the private and public spaces. The plinth gets an active function by facilitating room for offices, workplaces, shop and meeting spaces. Plots with a residential function have a semi-raised living room, and in front they can have a small garden. These gardens can be just a couple of pavement stones wide, and create a completely different visual. When combined, the residential plots still have their privacy, without destroying the active plinth.

Southridge Valley is providing a range of development types that allow for a mix of day and night time activities supported by dense residential activity that aids with natural surveillance and provides a ‘base load’ of activity. (Healthy spaces and places, 2009)

Increase the proximity

Figure 26: Southridge Valley’s high density

The mixed use areas can is designed by locating the services and facilities within easy walking distance by having the boulevard close by public transport corridors or other public transport.

Urban Living

Active Plinth

Secondary street design

Primary street design

Street Design

This secondary street has only on one side parking, therefore more space is used for walking area, green and street elements. The road is smaller in comparison to the primary road and everything is on the same level, resulting in a less designated place for cars and more area to play

This will be the access way into the high-density area. Parking will be situated mostly within the blocks some parking spots will be provides. The rest will be used for walking, green and street elements. It can also be used by cyclist as it is safe, and speeds are low.

Figure 28: Secondary high density street design

Figure 27: Primary high density street design

LivingCourtyard (Steiteville, 2007)

Complete

The courtyard is an added value for Okotoks as recently, the town miss the social housing that focuses on the social value. By increase the density in the area it leads to decrease the current urban sprawl in Okotoks. spacepublic CohesionSocial DensityMedium

Social

The courtyard typologies its main aim is to gather the people of the same cluster in one place belongs to the nature. To interact and be one community in their backyard. Most of the courtyard houses are connected to small shops in these courtyards, so it gives the sense of mixed use of the land, and bring the facilities closer to the residents of the place.

Courtyard56 Living

Semi

Ecological

The urban gardening and living close by the urban farming in the Southridge Valley give the neighbourhood the sense of the green and increase the quality of these courtyards. The lifestyle in these courtyard is provided by eco-friendly measures such as recycling system, renewable energy sources like solar panels and electric car charging point.

Courtyard Living

• Build a shared community garden. This is to promote community interaction in the as well as share in a bounty of fresh veggies.

Providing focal points

Activities to do

• Shared waste disposal systems by having multiple bins. Larger quantities of compost heat up faster

The public spaces of these courtyards it is divided into a private, semi-public and public spaces. the house itself is a private property, and each group of houses has a common semi public space in between their houses. This semi public spaces are the spot where the residents of these courtyard are able to do different activities

• Map out the play areas such as buy a playground-sized climbing structure that could be shared for the other neighbourhoods.

Connecting the sidewalk to the building Exterior spaces bridge the gap between the building and the surrounding sidewalks. Depending on how this critical transition is treated, the flow from public zone to semi-public zone may seem smooth and seamless or abrupt and intimidating. (Semi Public Zone, 2008)

• Host a courtyard movie night.

• Coordinate a neighbourhood yard sale

One way of welcoming the public into a building’s exterior spaces is to provide functional focal points such as kiosks, sculpture, or benches, where people can meet before entering or after leaving the building.

Privacy

These shared courtyards aren’t totally open and connected. But they also keep privacy for the households by having different kind of fences separating the houses.

The courtyards housing are 900 medium density houses where it is targeting the social seeker residents, who appreciate the social value. These typologies are designed to encourage the social interaction in the Southridge Valley with keeping the green nature and add to the entire town of Okotoks. As it is done in West Sussex by Mohsin Cooper, the masterplan creates a comfortable and organic layout, with all existing mature trees retained to the entrance and perimeter areas in order to complement the rural character and feel of the development.

Figure 29: Fences Examples

Figure 30: Medium density houses

Figure 32: Secondary neighbourhood medium density areas. road

Secondary neighbourhood road

Figure 31: Primary neighbourhood medium density areas. road

Primary neighbourhood road

Street Design

This primary road is the main road for accessibility of the medium density areas. Bicycles and cars have to share the road. Although there is plenty of room for cars next to each other, speeds are low. Parking spots are specific and are defined by the road design, creating safety and visibility for bikers.

These roads are for access of the public spaces on the outside of the neighbourhood. As this same space is also used by children playing or social activities, the streets are quit, spacious and low of cars. These cars have specific parking spots in addition to the ones on private property to keep the street clean and to provide overview and public safety.

LivingOrganic

(HELSINGE GARDEN CITY, n.d.)

These ecological cluster will give Okotoks a new identity by having these socio-ecological typologies and it will be an example for Okotoks how the combination between the social and the eco-friendly houses can take place and a new destination for a forgettable target group in the town.

Complete

Ecological

SustainableHouses

Eco-friendly and nature Low Density

Social inclusion is about the inclusion of people who share similar aspects such as age, ethnicity or thoughts (Bergman, 2018). Thus as these houses are mainly targeting the same mindset people who are caring about the environment and have a high eco-friendly awareness about the nature. So it will increase the social cohesion in these clusters.

Social

The cluster houses are highly eco-friendly typologies. as they are connected to solar panels and insulation windows. The houses is built from sustainable materials. The inhabitants are able to grow their own food in their community gardens, connected to water harvesting and water recycling. The setting of the houses are to live by the nature and the green. All these elements are integrated to achieve the sustainability in Okotoks.

Organic61 Living

Renewable Energy

gathering days, which will be the key to create a strong identity and an awareness of the new area.

Another eco-friendly housing design component, community garden help reduce the influx of heat, are a great way to add oxygen producing plants and the perfect way to battle the adverse effects of urban sprawl in residential communities. They also help with storm water management, and are the perfect way to insulate the homes against the hard-beating of the sun.

Community gardens

Harvest and recycle rainwater

Water shortage is a crisis that often gets overlooked especially when the population in Okotoks will increase ,it’s always a looming threat. Droughts and water shortage can stagger the population, so the water conservation systems are added the home by having the toilet bowl to reuse the grey water and rain harvesting systems as this system collects the storm water that would have otherwise run off and it provides a distributed irrigation system to use it. It can be used for flushing toilets, washing cars, or can even be purified for drinking purposes (Oleenik, 2020).

Having solar panel coupled with a good heat pump, they allow heating and cooling the house for free. Depending on the Energy Network Operator, the Energy produced during the day can be exchanged with the network during the day (if they are not use it) and could be get it back during the night when they do not produce it. The amount of energy is generated in one year can even be bigger than the household needs, allowing for profitable trading. (Oleenik, 2020)

The eco-friendly clusters house are “the belong to the nature houses”, it is the lowest density in the entire area. These clusters are in sustainable settings, and the main focus groups for these houses are the environmental friendly residents, who wants to enjoy the nature and the sustainable life. There are 75 houses connected to the existing nature of the area. The houses are positioned in a way to be exposed to the natural light and normal ventilation along the day. The houses are built on the same strategy as Helsinge Garden city. The identity of the new neighbourhood is crucial to attract new types of residents and together with the transformation of the landscape, the food hub will provide social and food related activities such as markets and

The aesthetics benefits of community gardens are also quite appealing. Not only do they help mitigate the plantation of much-needed flora, but they also add to the overall beauty of the home. They can also become the perfect personal retreats when you want to hold a summer barbecue or a private party

Figure 33: Low density houses

Organic62 Living

A 100 percent bike-powered compost recycling project. Compost Pedallers strives to reduce waste, strengthen the local food system, and connect the community with farms. Residents can sign up to redirect organic waste to local farms and gardens through the bicycle-powered network

Live with Nature

Urban Farm is a community-based urban agriculture project that grows nutritious, culturally appropriate food for residents of its family home and the Okotoks community. Volunteers grow and distribute organic produce to the surrounding community and distribute vegan meals through a food bank. (UA Projects, 2015)

Promote urban farming

The neighbourhood promotes social and envi ronmental justice to grow healthy food to fuel healthy communities and engages the community through horticultural training programs while supporting school and neighbourhood gardens. (figure 28)

The project also teaches locals about healthy eating and offers job training for youth and the homeless in the area. An after-school and summer program provides children from low-income neighbourhoods with a safe place for learning. Kids can garden, visit local farms, and try new foods. It maintains an educational program in the form of monthly workshops and an affordable Good Food Box program. (Meeting of the Minds, February 2020 )

Teaching

The program helps complete the “circle of life” in food production by regenerating waste into resources. Through partnerships with community coffee houses and local businesses, the organization is hoping to in still a self-sustaining culture of recycling organic waste and provide a valuable resource to urban farms and gardens.

Figure 34: Community gardens diagram

Waste

Live with Nature

These streets are simple and designed for low speed, as they are also walking and biking routes. There are no cars parking on the side of the street to keep the connection with the green. The roads provide access to the eco living clusters

Walikng trials

Figure 35: Cluster access road

Low density primary access

Places to Go! Step 4

DensityUrbanmapliving (High density) Courtyard living (Medium density) Densify around public spaces (Higher density) Organic living (Low density) Boulevard Park Square CornerCreekshops Creek Urban living Courtyard Living Organic Living WindwalkSouth Ridge valley

Figure 36: Blending the pillars in public space

Public spaces are meant to be enjoyed by all people of all ages. All of the public spaces within this development area has exceptional blend of the three pillars (social, ecological and complete) and blend all intergenerational activities (figure 36). The Southridge Valley area doesn’t just have public spaces, it has an intricate network of connected public spaces that form a continuing and comprehensive open realm that is all inclusive. All the roads that connect these public spaces in themselves are mirrors of the spaces. The interactions that occur in public spaces are what shape neighbourhoods, the community environment is directly related to what happens within these spaces. The functions that are available within public spaces shape what outsiders think about the area

Public spaces

Connections

Attractive and bold street infrastructure keeps the layout of a neighbourhood interesting. Streets are what connect urban public spaces together, it’s the link that creates a whole network from isolated places. Traveling between these public spaces such as from the park to a square, green and beautiful roads are appealing. The network makes the residents feel like they are walking through a cohesive area that has a warm encompassing atmosphere. In the streets are where social exchanges and human interactions occur at all times, there is a large diversity in use and concepts. It’s an extension of the public realms that are significant in the branding of the area, by having a green infrastructure: the trees and plants that line the streets give a natural vibe to the development area as a whole.

ecologIcal comPlete socIal

Figure 37: Theory of the placemaking

68 Access

The boulevard is just for walking and cycling, and is connected into the green as well by having two lines of trees on either side. The park is a central green space including a walking trail. Furthermore, the historic and symbolic items pertaining to the identity of the community are located in the park. The square is offering a green open space with terraced lawns, surrounded by trees, benches and modern street lights as well as featuring a big playground for children. Even the small corner shops are surrounded by open green spaces and easily accessible by walking or cycling. The streets are part of these networks, with trees covering the streets and with fewer cars, walkability and pedestrian friendliness are encouraged. Street furniture is a part of the identity and preserving history of it.

Comfort

Figure 37 Access: placemaking diagram

The public spaces such as a boulevard, a square, or a park are within close proximity of all sorts of houses, which contributes to the quality of the area. Everyone has easy access to the public spaces by using different transportation methods, and it is generally welcoming for those who prefer to walk or take the slow mode of transportation. The park is accessible both from the neighbour area and from the housing clusters in the neighbourhood. The park contributes to lowering the barrier of the highway, since it become a destination.

Figure 38: Image placemaking diagram

The public spaces work as a system, connecting the boulevard with the square and park to create a single, open space that shares a pedestrian path, a biking trail, or a similar feel as a common space. The boulevard connects the community to neighbouring Windwalk along the east side of the boulevard, which contributes to the area’s overall connectivity. All the neighbourhoods must have a strong sense of identity because the public spaces are very close to the homes. This one connected public spaces enhancing the people to be active through walking facilities covers the entire area and offer them the potential to walk for distance without feeling bored or tired.

The green infrastructure is the foundation of the public realm. The project is a network of green spaces that will enhance the walkability in the streets and preserves the historic identity of Okotoks.

The use of green open spaces was most affected by the seasons, time of day and prevailing weather and light conditions. The park and the creek were both places where people could spend time without spending money, and behave in less formal and sometimes more intimate ways. Regular users included people who were ‘excluded’ from many town-centre meeting places, either by prices (e.g.. in coffee shops) or because they were under-age, barred or discouraged. Certain groups of young people and unemployed people, used the municipal park all year round

Figure 39: Uses placemaking diagram

In order to preserve the sustainability of the public realm the activities are seasonally. In the summer there are different activities compared to the winter in order to keep the vitality of the space during the entire year. The boulevard is mainly for shopping and leisure such as bars and clubs to keep both neighbourhood active and vital in the night. Blending residential, office and commercial areas, such as bars, restaurants, cafés and local commerce. As the total need of commercial services based on households is 11,000m2 (Steiteville, 2007) and the area is offering 11,500 m2 to invite people from entire Okotoks as well (Appendix). The uses attracts people and makes the environment safer and friendlier. The diversity of uses generates external activities that contribute to the safety of spaces more people on the streets helps to inhibit crime.

The strength of a city is in its interconnected neighbourhoods, where the engagement and sense of community on the street level keeps the city healthy and alive. Placemaking pays dividends in public health, economics, and safety. The open spaces are providing different uses and activities to keep fun, active and sustainable.

Uses

Figure 40: social placemaking diagram

The public spaces are open and welcoming to people of different ages, ethnicities, cultures and class of population from the area and also outside. It serves the social interaction and social cohesion on different scales. Different age groups tend to use public spaces at different times of day and for different reasons. Older people and children in particular appeared to be influenced by the presence of other age groups. Older people are frequently absent from public places, especially after dark.

Social

The boulevard is a green corridor includes around 50 on 8,400 m2 commercial services that connects the neighbouring development area of Wind walks with the project area. A very wide street that has trees and flora on either side of it. This boulevard has open space systems that has several functions at once. This green boulevard is lined with various mixed use properties, such as restaurants, boutiques and retail. It’s a the backbone of a much larger road network. It accommodates bicycle and pedestrian traffic acting as a multi-use street. Smart street and pedestrian lighting line the pathways.

Figure 41: Boulevard Cross-section

Boulevard

This boulevard brings a community feeling to the people who live around it, specifically the lower income housing. The connection between the neighbourhood area Wind walks allows for many great opportunities. The provision of a commercial centre creates a social gather place for the residents.

• Caricature Art: artists will line the boulevard each with different skills highlighting the diversity of

• Game tables: activity aimed towards children and the elderly, it brings strangers together along the median.

•Street vendors: when dining at a restaurant is too much of an occasion then street vendors come in handy. Selling hot food that is ready almost immediately is always a plus when pushing people to be active.

10 personal and cosy corner shops are littered around the area, bringing life to otherwise empty street corners. These corner stores are conveniently located with walkability in mind. convenient for quick shopping and daily or emergency food needs. Very handy for quick shopping and daily or emergency food needs. Corner shops attract people who are on the go, that require a quick pit stop or a short break. This can range from students on their way to school or a family who want dessert after dinner.

In comparison to a big box retailer such as Walmart or Target, corner shops are much more versatile. The total taxable value of the area is much higher than that of a singular commercial business due to the number of different shops located within the same sizable area. An increase in localized and walkable services will render the need to travel by car unnecessary. Convenience stores don’t remain closed for very long, there is always going to another to take its place. While when a big box store shuts down, it turns into an empty desolate building that sits at the edge of town. These small stores promise a net increase in employment which will boost the economic vitality of Okotoks.

Figure 42: Cornershop cross section

Corner shops

Mixed use allows for flexibility where in most cases it’s not a possibility when zoning laws are strict in their function. It allows for greater opportunities and change; a mini market could become a café or a bookstore which in turn could become an office one day. It creates a flow of change that support the growth of Okotoks.

Tee pee park

TP Active Park

• Historical facts about the Siksika Nation (on boards)

Noticed about where to find first nations inspired monuments like TP’s by the Creek (on boards). The park is the entrance of the area from the north, thus the park requires to be attractive, accessible and keeping the identity of the Okotoks. The tepee is a small temporary tents, constructed in the park for day use events. The shape of these tent goes back to the Blackfoot nation of Okotoks which strengthen the park identity and adds to the entire town.

• Blackfoot feet outline on trail links back to their namesake.

• Statue of Chief Blackfoot

The park is accessible from the highway and from the development area itself by pedestrians and cyclists. The reintroduction of native plant species will push for increased biodiversity. The park welcomes people of all ages, it has opportunities for everyone to enjoy themselves.

Outdoor gym & playground and Walking trail:

• The walking trail is dedicated to teaching people about Blackfoot history while they enjoy a walk through the lovely park.

Figure 43: Impression of the park

TP Historic Park

Figure 43: Example of street furniture

Figure 44: Example of Park lightening

Figures: First Nations Inspired Structure

Figure 44: Example of street furniture

Figure 45: Moccasins in the park

The open spaces will have to keep the identity of Okotoks to strength the historic value of the town, by using the significant iconic symbols of Okotoks. The Blackfoot Moccasins which are the tradition shoes for the Blackfoot nations. These shoes could be placed in a big scale in the park as a landmark or an attraction point. It will be placed for visitors to interact with. These link back to the Siksika people, displaying their heritage for people to see and learn about.

Figure 43: Example of street furniture

The rock is one of the biggest identity icon of Okotoks that could be nicely implemented in the street furniture in most of the public spaces such as in the park, at the boulevard and in different squares.

Moccasins

Street furniture

The creek is located to the south of Southridge Valley, it has structures to hold events and activities. Events such as festivals, food markets, and concerts. First Nations inspired architecture around the creek, such as TP like structures. Water relaated services are porvided there such as: rainwater harvesting and stormwater collection.

Tours through the park using snowshoes are a feature that visitors can do. Snowshoe tours: will be available during the winter. The tour is given through the walking trail.

•visit

• Markets: locally sourced ingredients for sale to all who

Winter Activities:

Creek

Floating cinema: a weekly/monthly service that features classic Canadian movies

•Highlights:Food trucks: providing seasonal local dishes including First Nations delicacies.

Creek

75 Square

The number of the shops in the square

• Library: not only does it have educational purposes, but containing fundamental further material on Canadian history.

Squares connects housing and leisure with commercial, restaurants and cafe allowing for an unique mixed use area the square includes 25 shops. This public space acts as a place for people to gather and meet. These squares are located throughout the area, they are hubs for activity and social encounters. Most will contain cafés and restaurants with outdoor seating areas as well as. Public squares are the intersection, gathering and waiting points for both the pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

• Monuments: highlighting important historical figures around the neighbourhoods that are culturally relevant such as a sliding on a rock.

• Alfresco dining: outdoor seating provided by restaurants push for an engaging and lively atmosphere

Figure 46: Square cross section

Urban outdoor spaces

Active Night

The possibility of multiple use of urban outdoor space for night-time activities. This includes pedestrian trails, streets, square, green spaces, parks, boulevard, playgrounds, church, and natural areas. These spaces can be used for day-time activities and also during the night for different types of activities.

Night-time environment

Social behaviour

Figure 47: Active Night factors

Night-time environment

To quite the bedroom community feeling, the area should encourage the inhabitants to go out at the night, and experience southridge valley in the evening. according to Ngesan & Karim , 2012 to create a better experience the area focused in these four elements to attract them out.

Night life is that it happened due to the changes of urban lifestyle in Southridge Valley. The new neighbourhood become able to provide a quality time for families and students and able to rejuvenate the urban community. It can also act as a socializing tool in town.

Night-time activities

The Night at Southridge Valley can be a platform for traditional and modern cultural performances, community practices, festival and season events as the Blackfoot event, educational activities for the community gardens, passive and active leisure activities, wholesale night market, mobile stalls, and food and drink businesses in the boulevard and square.

Social behaviour

Night-time activities

Southridge Valley offer cooling temperature moreover the unique experiences of night scenery. It also optimizes the use of urban nature resources such as creeks, park, big trees and green spaces that support nocturnal flora and fauna.

Urban outdoor spaces

StepNetwork5

More attractive, safer neighbourhood for people to live in increases the quality of life drastically. No neighbourhoods with wide streets and focus on car usage, but communities motivated towards using active modes. An area to live in where it is attractive to bike and walk and where children can play safely on the streets. Neighbourhood where daily needs are within close proximity and very accessible by active modes. Furthermore, car free centres to socialise, recreate and spend time in improve the quality of life within people living area.

On the way to a more sustainable way of living by an active way of living. An active way of transport as neighbourhood are low of car usage and there is stimulating toward zero emission vehicle usage, as an electric network is well arranged within the area and proximity of houses. Also, an attractive environment by providing green streets and nice public green areas. these areas are perfect for walking with the dog and are integrated with infrastructure for active modes to create nice trips. This way surrounding is an edition to people’s houses, and provided a public garden for people who do not have them at private property

Complete Balanced transportation that decreased car dependency. Motiving towards using active modes for short distances and within Okotoks and reserving the car for longer trips. Doing that by providing a complete and well-defined infrastructure for active modes and the access of public transport. To increase the economic vitality and quality of Okotoks, as areas are multi-modal accessible and nice and attractive places are being created that facilitated people daily needs. Complementing Okotoks into less of a sleepy town because more thing can be done in Okotoks itself.

78 NetworkSocial

Ecological

Direct routes are created for people to use active modes as their daily transportation. establishing a network for active modes with is safe, attractive and makes it possible to bike everywhere in the most direct way, as is stretches within the entire area. This network consists of three main points:

Active modes roads: this road will focus on a fast, direct accessibility of main destinations within the area. it runs straight through the main public spaces and is almost completely closes for cars, with makes it is an attractive and safe running throughout the heart of the area

Figure 48: Network map of neighbourhood

Main Priority:roadactive mode

Bicycle lanes on access roads: the ability to use major access road for access to Southridge Valley or for destinations within Okotoks is important for motivating cycling and walking as it provides the most direct and easy way. This will make lots of destinations within Okotoks also accessible by bike.

79 Network

Main Priority:MainPriority:roadcarroadshared use

Main Priority:roadbus only

Direct routes for active modes

Safe neighbourhood streets: the streets within the neighbourhoods are design for low usage of cars and will stimulate low speed as cars and bicycles share the streets. Making the streets safe for playing children facilitating biking everywhere

on biking and walking

Zero emission transportation.

Zero emission transportation of course cannot be missed in the sustainable future of Okotoks. therefore, electric charging will be well facilitated within the neighbourhoods. At least 50% of the parking spots for cars will be equipped with the option to charge electric. As the bigger part of the cars park in the garages within the block or on their own driveway, this can easily be done within the building face. Setting up installation point with the option to install an electric charging point for residents that are moving in. this can also be done for bikes and scooters

Access to public transportation

For people who don’t want or can’t use the car access to transportation is very important. Although basic needs will be accessible within the area because of the orientation towards cycling a walking, destination outside of the Southridge Valley area also needs to be accessible. Therefore, a bus line will run through the area, connecting Southridge Valley with different centres, downtown and to the rest of Okotoks. at some places will also be the options to take bikes out of a system of shared bikes, that can be used for transportation to and from the bus stops.

Figure 49: Zero emission transportation.

UtilitiesNetworkandservicesfocussed

Facilities and services will be focused on active modes. As the for example the boulevard and squares are car free public pedestrian spaces and are also connected with the active modes’ highway. This provides a lifestyle where people have their daily needs within close range and where they can easily access them by biking or walking, decreasing car dependency .

Transition of highway and downgraded highway

Figure 50: Highway7 barrier after and before before after

Decreasing the barrier

51: Cross section of Highway 7

The transition between the current highway and the downgraded highway that runs along Southridge Valley will be done by a roundabout. This roundabout should slow traffic to an almost complete stop when they must give way to other traffic on the roundabout. After the roundabout, the design is narrower and lets drivers now that they have now enter the town. Furthermore, the roundabout facilitates access in and out the Southridge Valley area’s and it creates safe crossing opportunities because of the low speed.

Examples of this can often be seen in countries like Germany, France, Sweden, and England, where long stretching routes with through traffic runs in and out the borders of small towns. Although the speeds on these roads the speeds are quite high, speeds gas to be reduces one’s traffic enters the town to create a safe environment. But when the border is reached again speeds will go up again until the next town is reached. Therefore, a roundabout is the perfect way to let people know that they have entered a living area. An example of that can be seen in DeLand, Florida, where a roundabout is put on a highway at the point where town is starting. Of course, bicycle infrastructure needs to be added to the roundabout to make it fitting for Southridge

Valley.Figure

a greener appearance as the road is divided by a green middle island and there will be trees alongside it. this will make the road feel less of a barrier.

Cross the Barrier

By changing the highway, it becomes clear for road users that they have entered the border of the town.

Although highway 7 is important for the access of Okotoks and the Southridge Valley area, keeping it as it is now is not an option. With the development and expansion of the towns edges, this road will not longer be outside of Okotoks, but within. It will no longer be only providing connection to different areas, but it will also be part of the living environment of Okotoks. as it can currently only be used for cars and is located between two housing districts it becomes a barrier.

The new layout of the road will be stimulating a slower speed and will provide accessibility for walking and cycling. There is a way 2 cycle path located that runs alongside the road and there will be multiple spots for people that bike or walk to get across. In addition to that the road will get

While downgrading the highway does make a big difference, the feeling that it is a barrier must be further decreased. Only decreasing speeds, making the road less wide and adding green along the sides is not enough. The number of possibilities to cross the road and the connection between the neighbourhoods on both sides of the road is even more important. To facilitate crossability for everyone, several crossings for active modes (biking and walking) are fitted into the road design. These places for crossing will be located at the main car entrance to the Southridge Valley area, in addition to all the free-standing crossing that make it easy to reach the neighbourhoods on the other side of the highway.

Cross the Barrier

To increase connectivity even more the green infrastructure forms a bridge between the two neighbourhoods on each side of the road. as the Blackfoot park extend into the neighbourhood on the other sides of the road and two different eco-tunnels facially brings green infrastructure across, this will connect the two sides of the barrier. Establishing an attractive public area for walking, running, playing, and enjoying the outdoor lifestyle, even though a car road runs trough it. the green infrastructure will form the connection between the two sides of the barrier, the current and the neighbourhoods to be added in the future.

Connectivity and Crossability of barrier

Figure 52: Intersection in Highway 7

Figure 53: Four types of driver strategy

Change Mindset

Less car dependant people; Changing the mindsets. Although changing mindsets is difficult is can be done by showing the car is not needed and taking it as much as possible out of the picture. Where the focus should lie on making the public spaces more focussed on people and giving people the impression that the car is not part required to travel around the area. Roughly these 4 types of drivers with the following mindset can be extinguished (stradling, 2007).

Investing time and resources in the people most likely to effect a change is critical. As die-hard drivers are very difficult to motivate into more sustainable transportation and this in the case of aspiring environmentalist almost comes naturally. With all the measures that are going to be implemented the focus will be put on the last three mindsets towards using the car. Car-dependent individuals must be aware that there are viable alternatives available. Establishing an area that motivates people to take more sustainable steps in terms of their transport, but also allows them to take more sustainable steps as alternatives are well-facilitated, and active modes are the main users of the area.

The new daily urban system by adding the new green Okotoks, it offer more opportunity in short distances from the living area.

Family with children

New Daily urban system

54:

Students

Southridge Valley offers a new kind of residential zone that provides houses for young pupils who leave with their families and without. They have the option to commute to school outside the area by either a bus or their bikes, since the neighbourhood has both options available. An afternoon can be spent in the park, where the student may explore the place or go on a launch. Teenagers can find various kinds of night clubs in the neighbourhood, as well as restaurants and cafés on the boulevards and squares. Additionally, the park can also be a place where people can hang out at night since it is in a nearby area.

The family lives in the neighbourhood in a courtyard houses, built house near the square. The family has to take the kids to school each morning. Then if they are working couple, they may want to work at a neighbourhood office and then enjoy their launch at the park when they are at work. The family can go to the park in the evening and do some outdoor gym or enjoy the open spaces around the neighbourhood, or walk along the boulevard. However, the system differs for women who are not employed (Dashed line). In addition to bringing her children to school, she can go do some farming in her courtyard with her neighbours have a lunch together then after she can to a shopping centre to do some shopping in a nearby square, or she can go to the gym, walk, cycle or relax at a park with friends in the afternoon while her children can play with the neighbours in the shared playground in their backyard or going to the park to spend their time there after school. At the night they can go as a family outside to walk or participate in any of the events.

Figure New DUS

Tactical Urbanism

Step 6

The Southridge Valley is a vacant land abundant in southern Okotoks, far from the eyes of Okotokian residents. Before construction begins, the neighbours of the Southridge Valley will receive an invitation to their homes inviting them to the area and participate in the guerilla gardening event. However, it isn’t an ordinary invitation, it’s green.

An event will be planned during the construction phase, through the inclusion of stakeholders such as students from the universities, entrepreneurs, and the residents of the other neighbourhood.

Gain the attention and increase the awareness from the neighbourhoods

Create an emotional bond to the Southridge Valley

Bring more start-ups and new businesses to the area

Greening and combine nature to the neighbourhood : Initial design of the invitation

Monthly or yearly event could be scheduled to come back to the area and maintain their plants and watch the development process. At the end, every participant had a connection or a memory to the place they planted the plant.

Location : Around the creek

The invitation is made of natural materials, with seeds and recyclable paper that is plantable and will be used to green the park around the creek. This event will welcome residents to the Southridge Valley for the purpose of planting their cards across the creek.

Duration: is one full day in the weekend every 6 months

Tactical Green Invitation

Figure : Urban Gardening

Figure 56

Figure 57: Creek movie night

Remind the inhabitants about identity of Okotoks

Bring money and new investments to the area

Enhance the residents to walk for distances

Increase the social involvement in the Southridge Valley

Although the development and construction has been completed, Tactical urbanism will continue to occur in order to engage residents and promote walking in the area .An annual festival will be planned to welcome the residents of the area to come together and celebrate the day of the black foot. The event will include food cart pop-ups, organic food sales, a night movie by the creek, and prints of their black footprints on the streets and walking paths.

Tactical Blackfoot Event

The main purpose of the event is to encourage children and adults from walking, as they could print their footsteps on their walking route using the black colour (black foot) on the streets but it also includes every other colour to decorate the streets and mark their steps. During their routes they can also shop in the pop up markets, which are organized by residents and sell their second hand goods (clothes, machines and gadgets) or fresh vegetables from the community gardens or buy something to eat from the home made food carts. Then, in the evening, there’ll be a movie cinema night with small boats in a creek so boaters can watch the movie on a big screen.

Duration: 4 days in Second week of July Location: The entire Neighbourhood

Figure 58: Pop-up market

• Housing Associations: Westwind’s Communities, Foothills Foundation, Siksiska Housing

HighStakeholderinfluence-HighInterest

required because planning a new development is very expensive and financial aid is needed to implement the plan. Investors have some rights in the decision major making, similarly to shareholders they are adversely effected by the outcome of the project.

The transit company will be directly affected by the new Public Transport network. This was put into place by the Okotoks Town Council. The system would have to be completely reworked in order to fit with the new public transport route. If no negotiation can be agreed upon, a new public transport company will be hired to provide the service.

• Banks: ATB Financial, First Calgary Financial, Servus Credit Union, TB Bank Financial Group, Scotiabank, BMP Bank of Montreal, CIBC Branch, RBC Royal Bank, & TD Canada Trust Banks have interests in projects that do well, this new development could be supported by several banks that are involved. With the new influx of residents in Okotoks, new banking opportunities are on the horizon.

These associations benefit from new developments, new homes are being provided to their target groups. The new rent houses that will be available for low to moderate income people will allow these corporations to aid and reach so many more people. They have a vested interest in the achievements of the Greenfields development.

Figure 59: Stakeholder Map

• Okotoks Transit

• InvestorsInvestorsare

When Southridge Valley is completed the area will provide a great blueprint for other greenfields surrounding Okotoks. The outer ring will exist out of active neighbourhoods with a decent amount of self-reliance. This does have some big effects on the current town of Okotoks.

To give Okotoks a fair chance in this competition it is important that the density in the town centre will rise and the current commercial centres get an overhaul. With as a result that the town creates his own identity and shopping experience, maybe whilst keeping the town feeling. Besides the commercial centres it’s also important to have great connection possibilities. The connection between Okotoks and the AB-2 in the west will get a more important role in the future. Along this axis there is space for industry whilst being close towards the highway. And it’s not only about the car connection. Reintroduction of passenger transport on the old railway can create great opportunities and vibrancy towards the centre of Okotoks.

When all of the other greenfields are filled in the town will become a city. This means that people will go searching for different kinds of amenities. These amenities can be placed in the current commercial centres. Whilst they currently provided the town with shopping facilities, in the future these will most likely be found in the outer ring neighbourhoods. So the shopping facilities have to provide for a larger area, with different kinds of target groups. One of these effects is that Okotoks will start to compete with Calgary.

Growth Concept

Phase 5:

Phase 4:

On the other side of the creek will be a development of 375 medium density houses. In the centre of this neighbourhood is place for facilities like corner-shops and workplaces. The residents of this neighbourhood have the option to go shopping in the earlier developed area or in current Okotoks. By creating a connections that are faster for the active mode, lifestyles will be influenced to choose for more environment friendly choices.

The first phase will consist of widening the creek and creating a permanent wetland in the area. The creek will be part of the solution for rainwater mitigation. The water-flow leading left will get a stronger connection to the northern area by the construction of an ecotunnel. Through this tunnel flows the creek, but there are also possibilities for active mode transportation. During this phase there will be multiple occasions where the current residents, will be invited to help with the development of the park, or explore the area.

Phase 3:

In the sixth and last phase a new kind of typology will be implemented. The buildings will be eco-friendly and sustainable. With in the surrounding landscape space for selfsufficient farming and solar fields. These clusters will complete the gradient between the open grasslands and the high density urban environment.

Phase 2:

Phase 1:

The third phase is the big revenue maker. The first houses will be build in the northeast of Southridge Valley. These houses have an high density in combination with mixed uses such as offices. New residents of the Urban Living neighbourhood will deliver a big impulse towards the existing commercial areas, but also form the base for the new kind of shopping with corner shops and the boulevard. This neighbourhood will eventually consist out of 1190 high density and 154 medium density houses.

In preparation of further development, it is important to lay down the necessary infrastructure. This means a downgrade of the AB-7, basic restructuring of the AB-783 and a major crossroad development at the intersection. Putting the downgrade of the AB-7 before housing development is important to get the current residents of Okotoks to know the new environment.

Phases 6:

The fifth phase is the last major expansion of Southridge Valley, existing out of 373 residential buildings. This neighbourhood will have the same housing typologies as the fourth phase. Together they will form the transition towards the surrounding open landscape. By creating courtyards where the fronts of the houses faces each other, residents will experience a great connection with nature.

In time the town has started to gentrify when urban sprawl has taken over the Canadian townships. Okotoks has turned into a bedroom community, what once was an active community has turned into a decaying one with minimal functions and services. The green within town has decreased while more space is used for vehicle infrastructure. Car usage throughout the years has increased exponentially, with the longer distances taken for commute and the spreading out of services.

As an answer to the struggles Okotoks faces in the battle against car dependency and urban sprawl, GreenCross Retrofitting has designed a blueprint for an Independent Okotoks. This plan is designed in a way that it could be placed anywhere within Okotoks’ expansion areas and would contribute to the main goals that the town is attempting to achieve. The lack of jobs for the higher educated and non-local services will be solved with the incoming of new office spaces and commercial areas. Influencing the transportation infrastructure and promoting multi-modality will, over time, influence the rate of car dependency and the sprawl of urban development.

Okotoks is a town with rich history dating back centuries, it has had cultural ties with the First Nations People, the Blackfoot People, since the beginning.

The Blackfoot people lived in Okotoks in a sustainable and self-sufficient way, doing so with modern technology and instilled values is possible once more. Gaining insight from them to create the Green Wheel that provides structure for all active community necessities. Turing this backwater town into a place that is both unique and forward thinking. Providing sustainable alternatives and active transport modes will directly affect every citizens lifestyle and outlook on innovation. Changing their mindsets in turn influence their perspective on the future, motivating them to think sustainably for the generations to come.

Housing associations will be able to provide low income rent houses to those in need, thus diversifying the neighbourhood and the town.

Through the use of the blueprint for an Independent Okotoks, a unified and sustainable town can be formed. The preserved native flora and fauna will lead to increased biodiversity and improved green infrastructure. Getting back in touch with lost history and culture that has been pushed aside so long ago. The Southridge Valley development ties in important culturally historical links with modern sustainable living. This mix of old and new is also reflected in the intergenerational mix of people living within it.

In addition, although this report focuses on creating a blueprint for an independent Okotoks, the hope is that these findings can be used as an example for other Canadian towns that suffer the same fate as that of Okotoks. While Green Cross’s study on the interworking’s of car dependency and urban sprawl and tackling their effect on suburban Canada is explored within this report. If further research into the topic then a study into the effects of homogeneity is recommended. Future studies that wish to address the issues that follow a sprawling city such as gentrification and urbanization can look into new urbanism. This research problem can be investigated in a different locations with varying cultural settings. An analysis of the economic vitality and smart growth would be required if a comprehensive study on the dissolution of bedroom communities were to be made.

Conclusion

Sources

Sighthill Regeneration. (2015). Retrieved from collective architecture: MediaCosminaAWkfaht68&guccounter=2eN5cRSIngARyeZ5ZpHwl-lSxe3bquE3mh7Ym2hPQDTph4DCmeomKAmLCOGLfaaAyIzb9ZARPGtYe77_j_c5me30sHqwm9B0yT-weC-66ygPNFuH07pW701q7QXCSUU-referrer_sig=AQAAAN1Xy7Ll3l_XkxB8_nbs8HRKoFbFtOL572A-referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_flood-recovery-siksika_n_5510290.html?guce_Canada.PlaguesButterfield,alberta.ca/dataset?tags=economic+indicatorsResourcesAlbertanet/publication/281315408_Determinants_of_car_dependenceQualityUrbanStradling,publicsquare/primer-retail-types-and-urban-centersurbanSteiteville,sighthill-regenerationhttps://www.collectivearchitecture.com/projects/R.(2007,Septamper1).Aprimeronretailtypesandcenters.RetrievedfromCNUJournal:https://www.cnu.org/S.(2007).ThreatsfromCarTraffictotheQualityofLife.InD.o.Dependenc,ThreatsfromCarTraffictotheofUrbanLife.Retrievedfromhttps://www.researchgate.Government.(2004–2020).EconomicIndicators:All[Dataset].OpenGovernmentProgram.https://open.M.(2014,June19).SlowFloodRecoverySiksikaReserve.HuffPostCanada;HuffPosthttps://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/06/19/LeliaVoinea,&HansvanKranenburg.(2017,August30).InfluenceandFirmsBehaviour:AStakeholderManagement

Sources

(2017). Retrieved from townfolio: https://townfolio.co/ab/ 28okotoks/demographicsInspiringUrbanAgriculture

Projects. (2015, July 28). Retrieved from Food Tank: house-ingredientsfromOleenik,Malaysia:TimeMohdTacticsMeetinginsulating-windows-energy-efficient.htmlfromwindowsLaboratory,https://www.karresenbrands.com/project/helsinge-nordHELSINGELandHealthyOkotoks:Brinda,www.pps.org/article/semi-public-zoneDecemberAnfarms-and-gardens-are-feeding-cities-around-the-world/https://foodtank.com/news/2015/07/urban-IdeaBookforPlacemaking:SemiPublicZone.(2008,31).RetrievedfromProjectforpublicspace:https://A.(2018).OkotoksMunicipalDevelopmentplanupdate.Okotoks.ca.spacesandplaces.(2009).DesignPrinciple–MixedUse.Australia:Healthyspacesandplaces.GARDENCITY.(n.d.).RetrievedfromKarresBrands:P.N.(2013,December2013).Highlyinsulatingareveryenergyefficient,thoughexpensive.RetrievedPHYS.org:https://phys.org/news/2013-12-highly-oftheMinds.(February20,2020).BehaviorChangeforUrbanChallenges.USA:BarrFoundation.RiduanNgesanandHafazahAbdulKarim.(2012).NightSocialBehaviorinUrbanOutdoorSpacesofShahAlam.sciencedirect.L.(2020).6SecretsofEco-friendlyHouses.RetrievedKatus.eu:https://katus.eu/learn/courses/eco-friendly-

Place in Canada. (2012). Retrieved from OKOTOKS: http:// Places,bestplaceincanada.com/towns/okotoksH.S.(2009).DesignPrinciple–

Mixed Density . Australia: Healthy Spaces & Places.

Sources 94

For Smart City Development Project: An Extensive Literature Review. ResearchGate; unknown. public-spaces-and-drivers-of-urban-prosperityHabitat.Streetscom/2017/siksika-continues-to-face-housing-crisis/SeptemberSiksikathecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/blackfoot-siksika#(2019).Siksikacom/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=129462023].Revenuesthe-streets-priscila-pacheco/blog/public-spaces-10-principles-for-connecting-people-and-PeoplePacheco,blackfoot-perspectives-of-okotoks/albertashistoricplaces.com/2020/06/17/our-record-in-stone-(2020,“Ourokotoks.com/business-directory.phpOkotokstownfolio.co/ab/okotoks/demographicsOkotoks,media%20wereresearch%20institutions,political%20institutions%20and%20Review#:~:text=Secondly%2C%20academia%20and%20Smart_City_Development_Project_An_Extensive_Literature_net/publication/331225610_Stakeholder_Analysis_For_https://www.researchgate.AB-Demographics.(2017).Townfolio.https://BusinessDirectory.(2019).Okotoks.com.https://www.recordinstone”:BlackfootperspectivesofOkotoks.June17).RETROactive;RETROactive.https://P.(2017).PublicSpaces:10PrinciplesforConnectingandtheStreets|.TheCityFix.https://thecityfix.com/&Expenditures2019.(2019).[BudgetForecast2020-TownofOkotoks.https://pub-okotoks.escribemeetings.(Blackfoot)|TheCanadianEncyclopedia.Thecanadianencyclopedia.Ca.https://www.continuestofacehousingcrisis|StrathmoreTimes.(2017,7).StrathmoreTimes.https://strathmoretimes.asPublicSpacesandDriversofUrbanProsperity|UN-(2013).Unhabitat.org.https://unhabitat.org/streets-as-

Perspective. ResearchGate; Canadian Center of Science and Education. AnuradhaNimesha003-12Alberta.Ca.DistrictMGB2018.pdfEconomic%20Development%20Strategic%20Plan%20sites/default/files/pdfs/publications/Okotoks%20StrategicMDIwww.okotokstransit.ca/mapMapwp/history/Website.|http://siksikanation.com/wp.return-indigenous/british-royal-albert-memorial-museum-agrees-to-www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alberta/article-back.SiksikaGraney,siksika-146/#/Ca.GovernmentUniversity.FacultyBehaviour_A_Stakeholder_Management_Perspectivepublication/319398121_Media_Influence_and_Firms_https://www.researchgate.net/ofManagement,Science,andTechnology,OpenofAlberta.(2021).Siksika146.Alberta.https://regionaldashboard.alberta.ca/region/E.(2020,April9).Almost150yearslater,theFirstNationisgettingChiefCrowfoot’sregaliaTheGlobeandMail;TheGlobeandMail.https://(2019).History&CultureSiksikaNation|SiksikaNationTribalAdministrationSiksikanation.com.http://siksikanation.com/|OkotoksTransit.(2021).Okotokstransit.Ca.https://Insight.(2018).TheOkotoksEconomicDevelopmentPlan2016-2020.https://www.okotoks.ca/boardorder003/12:TownofOkotoksvMunicipalofFoothillsNo.31-OpenGovernment.(2012).https://open.alberta.ca/publications/mgb-Jayasena,HarshiniMallawarachchi,&Waidyasekara.(2019).StakeholderAnalysis

Sources

What Makes a Public Square ? - Arch2O.com. (2020, April 30). Arch2O.com. of,people%20can%20meet%20and%20socialize.Activities&text=They%20represent%20a%20fraction%20squares/#:~:text=Squares%20as%20Open%2DEnded%20https://www.arch2o.com/reshaping-

Figure 21: Greater Okotoks’ Network map 41

Figure 51: Cross section of Highway 7 81

Figure 14: Philosophy of the vision 30

Figure 12: Current DUS 23

Figure 7: Map of the Facilities 17

Figure 15: Combinations of the pillars 31

Figure 10: Car usage figures 20

List of figure

Figure 34: Community gardens diagram 62

Figure 35: Cluster access road 63

Figure 41: Boulevard Cross-section 70

Figure 28: Secondary high density street design 52

Figure 49: Zero emission transportation. 80

Figure 29: Fences Examples 56

Figure 30: Medium density houses 56

Figure 53: Four types of driver strategy 83

Figure 4: Okotoks Rock 14

Figure 13: Concept of the vision 29

Figure 37 Access: placemaking diagram 68

Figure 58: Pop-up market 87

Figure 43: Impression of the park 72

Figure 44: Example of Park lightening 73

Figure 26: Southridge Valley’s high density 51

Figure 23: 42

Figure 9: Map of the Green 19

Figure 54: New DUS 84

Figure 37: Theory of the placemaking 67

Figure 17: Destinations map 36

Figure 18: Downtown by the railway 37

Figure 47: Active Night factors 76

Figure 11: Location of Okotoks in relates to other towns 21

Figure 3: Okotoks’ urban sprawl 10

Figure 39: Uses placemaking diagram 69

Figure 48: Network map of neighbourhood 79

Figure 32: Secondary neighbourhood medium density areas. road 57

Figure 1: Map of current Okotoks 7

Figure 40: social placemaking diagram 69

Figure 16: Okotoks Vision 35

Figure 43: Example of street furniture 73

Figure 45: Moccasins in the park 73

Figure 33: Low density houses 61

Figure 27: Primary high density street design 52

Figure 36: Blending the pillars in public space 67

Figure 50: Highway7 barrier after and before 81

Figure 46: Square cross section 75

Figure 22: Reconstruction Southridge drive 42

Figure 2: Map of expansion okotoks 8

Figure 52: Intersection in Highway 7 82

Figure 38: Image placemaking diagram 68

Figure 55 : Urban Gardening 86

Figure 6: Facilities Map 16

Figure 19: Commercial centre 38

Figure 25: Density map 48

Figure 56 : Initial design of the invitation 86

Figure 43: Example of street furniture 73

Figure 57: Creek movie night 87

Figure 59: Stakeholder Map 88

Figure 42: Corner-shop cross section 71

Figure 17: Downtown 37

Figure 5: Averages of inhabitants from Okotoks 15

Figure 8: Figures of current housing 18

Figure 31: Primary neighbourhood medium density areas. road 57

Figure 44: Example of street furniture 73

Figure 24: Vision map 44

Appendix

Thin air and inception U are two urban designing companies who are stakeholders in the project, these companies has medium influence and interest in the project.

Appendix

Energy companies, they are one of the important stakeholder in the development process but at the same time they don’t have the big influence on the project but they have a high interest in the development as they gain money from it

Local business. The local business has not much power and influence on the project but they have a great interest to expand so it could be an opportunity for them to increase their productions.

The airport, Calgary airport is an stakeholder in the area because the city will getting bigger that will affect one way on the airport but they have less influence and interest in the project they are only monitoring the process.

Municipality of Calgary has low influence on the development process they monitor the process and the municipality hasn’t an interest in the project as it is out of the town but on the further development it could affect the city of Calgary

Stakeholders

Low Influence - Low interest NGO, They are in the monitoring segment as they don’t have much influence or interest but they key concerns are the environmental issues, transparency and the safety process and this stakeholders can be communicated through meeting and seminars.

Low influence - High Interest Calgary University and Darcy; they have interest in the project as Okotoks can host many students in the area from the university, but at the same time they don’t have influence to the process, so they can only keep informed about the procedure and also involved in different phases of the project.

Research Institution; The universities and research institutions in Alberta are one of the stakeholder which has a low power and interest but they can provide inspirations, researches and idea to the development area

Households = number of houses x no. households 2300 x 3.4 = 7820

7820

Boulevard

Corner

m2 Appendix Okotoks 2A7 2A 549 hdSirtuogevirDe NorthridgeDrive NorthridgeevirD Highway 2A/7 Eliza bet h Str eet Milligan DriveMilligan D riveHighway 549 32StreetE 3SteetESEteert23r2 32StreetE 32StreetENorthRailwayStreetCrystalridgeDrive WestridgeDrivetlandStreetltseWartSdneet MilliganDrive B g Rock Trail Banister Drive WVeetrnasya 370 Ave n ue W SEteert84 SouthbankBusinessDistrict(phase2) SouthbankCentre LaudanPark CommunityRiversideParkSouthbankBusinessDistrictOLeashPark Cornerstone OCalgarykotoksAirPark SheepRiver SheepRiver SheepRiver SheepRiver FoothillsCounty downgrading road Okotoks 2A7 2A 549 hdSirtuogevirDe NorthridgeDrive Highway 2A/7 Eliza bet h Str eet Milligan DriveMilligan D rive 32StreetE 3SteetE32r2 32StreetE 32StreetENorthRailwayStreetCrystalridgeDrive WestridgeDrivetlandStreetltseWartSdneet MilliganDrive B ig Rock Trail WVeetrnasya ue W SEteert84 SouthbankBusinessDistrict(phase2) SouthbankCentre LaudanPark CommunityRiversideParkSouthbankBusinessDistrictOLeashPark Cornerstone OCalgarykotoksAirPark SheepRiver SheepRiver SheepRiverOkotoks 2A7 2A 549 hdSirtuogevirDe NorthridgeDrive NorthridgeevirD Highway 2A/7 E iza bet h Str eet Milligan DriveMilligan D rive 32StreetE 3SteetESEteert23r2 32StreetE 32StreetENorthRailwayStreetCrystalridgeDrive WestridgeDrivetlandStreetltseWartSdneet MilliganDrive B g Rock Trail Banister Drive WVeetrnasya 370 Ave n ue W SEteert84 SouthbankBusinessDistrict(phase2) SouthbankCentre LaudanPark CommunityRiversideParkSouthbankBusinessDistrictOLeashPark Cornerstone OCalgarykotoksAirPark SheepRiver SheepRiver SheepRiver Calculations of the commercial services SWOT Graph Three pillar concepts

1.4

The Needed facilities area = No. of households x 1.4 x = 10950 11,000 (Required)

app.

The Squareplanarea = 25 x 15 x 8 =2655 m2 area = 350 x 15 x 2 = 7875 m2 shop areas= 900 Total = 11430

The Public Service of Canada helps the Cabinet with their executive tasks. The PSC exist of non-party members and are hired on capabilities.

The federal government inns all the income tax. This money will, in return, be divided over the provinces. Sometimes the government gives money directly to a firm or municipality, when this happens this budget is only allowed to be used on a certain project.

there is no need for a second chamber.

TheMunicipalmunicipal

Political system of Canada with specifics on Okotoks Political structure

CanadaFederal is a constitutional democracy and has a federal system of parliamentary government. This means that Canada has a monarch as Head of State, but also has a parliament to represent the people.

Whereamount.theFG

Alberta is one of the states where the conservatives have ruled for a long time. The current running party is the United Conservative Party. They out themselves strongly against gays and are aggressively pro-fossil fuel. Furthermore they are wanting to change the Alberta Healthcare system.

Canada’s parliament exists out of a bicameral system. Which includes the House of Commons and the Senate. Together they form the legislative branch of the federal government. The executive branch exist of members of the coalition, they have places as minister and prime minister. The prime minister is often the leader of the biggest party, currently they are ruling as a minority government.

TheProvincialprovincial government of Alberta (the Legislative Assembly) is just like the federal government a constitutional democracy following the Westminster model. The only difference is the unicameral legislation. Because the provincial government has the main task of refining and executing the given standards

100

governments in Canada are more simplistic than in the Netherlands. Most people that run for councilor or mayor are not connected to a politic party. Although in the bigger cities the councilors tend to be connected to a political party, this is because they can also represent a seat in their provincial government. When someone aspires to become mayor they have to run independent of the council-elections.

The federal government has no direct power in the provinces, it can only set standards that the provinces have to follow. This means that the law can be different in every province.

In the case of Okotoks there are six councillors and one Mayor. The official title of the Mayor is Chief Elected Official, this means that he has a double role a Mayor and Councillor. All of the other Councillors serve as Deputy Mayor, this function rotates every two months. The Councillors of Okotoks are not aligned with any party, so they run independent. The elections in most of the smaller municipalities are won with the majority vote, while the provincial and federal government work with a plurality system. This means that every election-district sends one person, the result is that the population won’t be represented by the right and PG have the civil serve to rely on, the municipalities have

Just like the federal government the provincial government has a Head of State and a separated cabinet. The cabinet of the provincial government is lead by a Premier instead of a Prime Minister. On provincial level the cabinet is supported by the Civil Service, they have the same function as the PSC.

101

committees. These committees research and give advice towards the Council Members. As a result that every municipality has a lot of committees. Next to these are the regional committees, these have the same function but a manned by the Council Members of a collection of municipalities.

MostLaws

How things get done TheTaxesFederal

Government collects all of the taxes from the Canadian citizens. When collected this will be distributed over the provinces and territories. Another part of the provincial revenue exist out of education-taxes brought in from the municipalities. The revenue for the municipalities is mostly based on property taxes. For Okotoks there is the opportunity to gain extra revenue through the FG. When this happens, the budget is only allowed to be spend on a certain project.

of the laws are made by the PG, which sometimes leads to conflicts when in comes to practice at the MG. For instance when the municipality want to change the speed limit it has to place speed signs on every corner of the road. This is because the PG has decided that the standard speed is 50 km/h, which is based on a period that Alberta was mostly rural.

Okotoks_GreenCross project

Articles inside

Stakeholder

Active Night

Blackfoot Event

Green Invitation

New Daily urban system

Change Mindset

Cross the Barrier

Network

Park

Corner shops

Public spaces

Square

Organic Living

Courtyard Living

Urban Living

Less car dependant people

Less car dependent trips

Transportation

Less car dependent places

Strategy

Objective

Expansion

Okotoks Now

SWOT

Challenge

Inventory

Current Daily Urban system

Greenfield