SWOT

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.

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 Factors

Environmental Factors

Strength

Strong People identity

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.

Innovative Mindset

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.

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.

High income & Education

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

Sport facilities and schools

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

Ambitious Municipality

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

Sheep River & Riverbanks

Wetlands Downtown Okotoks

Museum

Stadium

Shopping area

Historic area

Schools

Space availability (Greenfield)

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

Existing nature (Greenfield)

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

Accessibility (Greenfield)

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

Weakness

Homogeneous of housing

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

Bedroom Community

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.

Home Based working

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 Social control

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.

Car oriented town

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

Expansion of the mindset (Greenfield)

The car dependency mindset to be expanded to the greenfield inhabitants

Barrier (Greenfield)

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

Existing buildings (Greenfield)

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

Opportunity

Railway station

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.

Expansion of the city

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.

Tourism

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.

Location of Greenfield

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.

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.

Railway Possible busline

New school

New trainstation

Planned development Recreational connection

Possible busline Railway

Windwalks

Threats

Environmental issues,

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.

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.

Car Oriented mindset

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.

Unemployment rate

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

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.

Traffic (Greenfield)

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