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74-830: Downtown Calgary is bordered by 14th Street W. on the west, the Bow River and Prince's Island Park on the north, the Elbow River on the east and the CPR mainline tracks on the south. The neighbourhoods of the Beltline and Mission to the immediate south are often considered part of downtown, due to the high concentrations of businesses, high population densities, and occurrence of retail and nightlife opportunities, but strictly speaking they are not technically part of downtown. The population of Calgary's downtown has grown substantially in recent years, growing by several thousand between 2011 and 2016. With

148-598: A large increase in the number and frequency of tours, starting with the productions The Erotic Irony of Old Glory and Ilsa, Queen of the Nazi Love Camp . Scotland's Traverse Theatre was often the launching pad for international tours. In 1995, OYR expanded the Secret Theatre into the Big Secret Theatre , increasing its technical versatility and doubling its seating to 130. Seating was further upgraded in 2002 to

222-577: A new dam near Glenbow . ( MW ) The Bow River supplies the water for three irrigation districts in southern Alberta: the Eastern, Western, and Bow River irrigation districts. The Eastern Irrigation District (EID), headquartered in Brooks, Alberta , was originally part of land that the federal government granted to the Canadian Pacific Railway in lieu of a portion of the payment for the construction of

296-473: A new hot-spot for the downtown area, playing host to the award-winning RiverWalk , several restaurants in the historic Simmons Mattress Factory building, and several new condo towers, with several more under construction. The neighbourhood is host to the $ 191 million National Music Centre of Canada , and will be host to the $ 245 million New Central Library of the Calgary Public Library system. Since

370-602: A part of the "Water for Life Initiative", the Alberta government placed a moratorium on any new licenses for water use from the Bow, Oldman , and South Saskatchewan River basins. The government also requested that the three irrigation districts increase their efficiency by 30 percent. The irrigation districts are improving their irrigation system by changing most canals to pipelines in order to decrease contamination, spillage, and loss of water to evaporation. A drawback of this change

444-420: A provincial advisory body. The council was to promote awareness of the river's water quality and try to improve it through fact-finding and aiding inter-institutional coordination. It was composed of representatives from diverse interests such as First Nations, agriculture, and municipalities. Recreational groups represented on the council, such as Ducks Unlimited and Bow Waters Canoe Club, expressed concern for

518-580: A resident population of rainbow and brown trout that has one of the best growth rates to be found on any river system in the world today. A trout that is 4 to 5 years old will be around 53 centimetres (21 in) long, and the Bow River holds many fish that are this size or larger. Mainly the river is fished south of the city of Calgary, past where the water treatment sites dump into the river. The volume of nutrients and number of fish are higher there. Outdoor adventurers use primarily three types of boats to enjoy

592-457: A riverfront park system. Park advocates defined the Bow River within Calgary as the city's nature: it was something to be protected for and enjoyed by the public. However, as progress was made in the parks' creation, this "environmental" view of the Bow's nature proved selective. For example, trees were not to be cut down, but landscaping to accommodate cyclists was endorsed. In short, the river

666-578: A scenic viewpoint. Communities have also recently begun to appear around Ghost Dam as well. In 1904 the Bow River Weir was constructed close to Calgary's downtown core in order to divert water into the Western Irrigation District. Since its construction a side effect of the weir had been that it created a circulating wave, with a lethal and powerful undertow, immediately downstream of it. Because rafting , canoeing, and kayaking down

740-405: A series of interdependent parts, and engineering all of them could give technicians control over the system as a whole for the benefit of society. In this process, Calgary Power ultimately fulfilled conservationist ideology as it increasingly brought the Bow River's interdependent sectors, and thus it as a whole, under control, while failing to embody conservationist ideals of rationally developing

814-605: A traditional style, the cultural centre's roof is modelled after the Temple of Heaven in Beijing . Chinatown Calgary has an area redevelopment plan in place with work continuing towards revitalizing the neighbourhood. The neighbourhood also contains Dragon City Mall, the only traditional Chinese-inspired shopping mall in Alberta. Eau Claire is a neighbourhood located directly north of the Downtown Commercial Core. The area, which

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888-506: A variety of pubs and restaurants. It is also located on the city's large network of pedestrian pathways and trails, along As of the 2016 Canadian Census, the population of Downtown was about 38,663 people living on approximately 6.0 km (2.3 sq mi) of land. Also as of 2016, there were approximately 137,030 jobs in Downtown Calgary. Residents in this community had a median household income of $ 30,126 in 2005 with 41.4% of

962-462: A whole for maintaining its water quality and quantity. In the mid-1990s, the upper Bow River began being treated explicitly biocentrically . This was part of the larger pursuit of treating Banff National Park's ecosystems as something intrinsically valuable: maintaining these ecosystems was now prioritized over human enjoyment of the parks. In June 2013, southern Alberta had such heavy rainfall that catastrophic flooding occurred throughout much of

1036-515: Is a pedestrian mall lined with historic buildings containing stores, restaurants, cinemas, and drinking establishments. Immediately adjacent to the outdoor portion of Stephen Avenue is an indoor complex of two shopping malls. The malls, The Core Shopping Centre (formerly TD Square/Calgary Eaton Centre) and the Scotia Centre are bordered at either end by the historic Hudson's Bay Company store and Holt Renfrew's upscale department store. The street

1110-765: Is a river in Alberta , Canada. It begins within the Canadian Rocky Mountains and winds through the Alberta foothills onto the prairies, where it meets the Oldman River , the two then forming the South Saskatchewan River . These waters ultimately flow through the Nelson River into Hudson Bay . The Bow River runs through the city of Calgary , taking in the Elbow River at the historic site of Fort Calgary near downtown. The Bow River pathway , developed along

1184-842: Is also home to a number of galleries, restaurants, pubs, off-beat cinemas, and nightclubs. Other attractions in the commercial core include the Devonian Gardens in The Core, the Calgary Tower , the Art Gallery of Calgary, The Glenbow Museum , Olympic Plaza, Arts Commons , and the Telus Convention Centre. The commercial core is also divided into a number of districts. They include the Entertainment District/Stephen Avenue, The Olympic Plaza and Cultural District, and

1258-534: Is an important source of water for irrigation and drinking water. Between the years 1910 and 1960, the Bow River and its tributaries were engineered to provide hydroelectric power, primarily for Calgary's use. This significantly altered the river's flow and certain ecosystems. The river's source is from the Bow Glacier , which is part of the Wapta Icefield . The outflow from this source flows into Bow Lake in

1332-599: Is located along 8th Avenue South. It contains the pedestrian mall of Stephen Avenue , lined with restaurants and shops, enclosed shopping centres (including The Core , Scotia Centre , Bankers Hall and The Bay ), as well as Calgary's only art house movie theater (the Globe Cinema ) and recreation areas such as the Devonian Gardens . Landmark buildings found in this district include the Hyatt Regency Hotel, which incorporates several historic buildings into its facade,

1406-586: Is that trees must be cleared in order to prevent roots from damaging the pipeline, changing the habitat. in 1987 the EID in association with the Alberta Fish and Wildlife Division and Ducks Unlimited Canada established a partnership to create additional wildlife habitat within the Eastern Irrigation District's boundaries. This demonstrated the EID's goal of encouraging wildlife in order to contribute to

1480-978: The Artist-run centre movement, the Punk subculture , and the do-it-yourself creed. In 1987, OYR produced the Secret Elevator Experimental Performance Festival , later renamed the High Performance Rodeo in 1988. The festival has grown annually in audience, venues, and impact, surpassing 10,000 attendees in 2006 and 16,000 in 2009. It now reaches over 20,000 audience members every year. The Rodeo features theatre, dance, music and multimedia presentations from across Canada and abroad. Artists presented in recent years range from hundreds of emerging artists to Philip Glass , Catalyst Theatre , Electric Company Theatre, Compagnie Marie Chouinard , Laurie Anderson , Andy Jones, members of The Kids In

1554-761: The Calgary Board of Education among other buildings. The cultural district is centered on the Burns Building and Olympic Plaza, and contains educational and cultural venues such as Bow Valley College , Glenbow Museum and Arts Commons , including The Big Secret Theatre (home of One Yellow Rabbit theatre company), Jack Singer Concert Hall (home of Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra ), Max Bell Theatre (home of Theatre Calgary ), Martha Cohen Theatre (home of Alberta Theatre Projects ), and Engineered Air Theatre . A statue of The Famous Five stands between Stephen Avenue and Olympic Plaza. The entertainment district

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1628-480: The Canadian Rockies . It flows south to the village of Lake Louise then turns east and flows through the town of Banff and through Canmore . The Ghost Lake reservoir is formed upstream from the town of Cochrane . The Bow flows eastward to the city of Calgary ; it continues on to form the South Saskatchewan River when the Bow joins with the Oldman River near Grassy Lake in southern Alberta . It reaches

1702-527: The Hudson Bay through the Saskatchewan River , Lake Winnipeg , and Nelson River . Communities along the Bow include Lake Louise, Banff, Canmore, Cochrane, Calgary, and Arrowwood . The Bow Falls are on the river's course, near Banff. The Bow River has a total length of 587 km (365 mi) and a drainage area of 26,200 km (10,100 sq mi). First Nations populations have lived in

1776-471: The 1920s forward, the National Parks of Canada began to focus on the economic benefits of accessible, mass marketable tourism. Changes included new highways and the creation of storage reservoirs for the water needed to sustain the burgeoning community. The Bow River was now seen both for its aesthetic qualities and for new utilitarian aspects. By the 1950s Banff's raw sewage began to be discharged into

1850-476: The 1920s, the company began planning new projects to control the Bow River. The Bow River's hydroelectric development both conforms to and contrasts with elements of conservationist ideology in the United States during this era. This ideology espoused that rational and planned resource development guided by technicians should benefit the greatest number of people possible. In this light, rivers could be seen as

1924-521: The Arts. OYR was founded as a collective in 1982 and coalesced into the OYR Performing Ensemble circa 1987-8. In its history, the company has created almost 80 full-length original productions. Ensemble personnel have remained relatively consistent since then, and OYR established a professional administrative staff. The company’s philosophy and practice have been influenced by contemporary dance ,

1998-734: The Bow River are such popular summer activities, there had been many fatalities. Furthermore, because fish were not able to pass through the structure, they too became trapped in the circulating wave and a dense, unnatural concentration of pelicans congregated immediately following the weir. One Yellow Rabbit One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre (OYR) is based in the Big Secret Theatre in Calgary ’s Arts Commons. With its Resident Performing Ensemble, OYR creates original theatrical works each year for its home audiences and also hosts The High Performance Rodeo, Calgary’s International Festival of

2072-536: The Bow River pathway, many people partake in canoeing, kayaking, rafting, paddle boarding, and other activities on the water. Dog owners and families often use the river banks and beaches for outdoor recreation. The recreation and tourism sector of the Bow developed closely alongside the river's water irrigation projects. Projects such as the McGregor, Chestermere, and Ghost dams were originally built for either agricultural or electrical purposes but are also important for

2146-413: The Bow River's January flow had approximately doubled 30 years later. Parts of the river, such as that preceding Ghost Dam, had practically turned into lakes. These developments had ecological effects, too. For example, reservoirs allowed certain fish species, such as the brown trout , to outcompete others, while other species virtually disappeared. By the 1950s, the Bow River's south bank in Calgary

2220-498: The Bow River's bank, the "blob" in the river had released a carcinogenic plume that stretched more than 250 kilometres (160 mi) downstream. Its discovery caused alarm in the media and amongst those living along the Bow River (two years earlier, 70 percent of Calgarians reported using the Bow recreationally). As a result, Alberta's premier, Ralph Klein , established the Bow River Water Quality Council as

2294-427: The Bow River. Because of the self-purification powers of the cold, braided water, however, the Bow was incredibly effective as a natural sewage-treatment facility. Tourists and residents were often unaware of the transformation of the Bow River into a sewage system. As Banff continued to grow, the river continued to digest the increased volume of sewage. This practice, however, began to touch an ideological nerve among

Downtown Calgary - Misplaced Pages Continue

2368-462: The Bow initially. Also in line with conservationism, bureaucrats allowing the construction of the Minnewanka reservoir espoused that the nation's development as a whole superseded the need to protect a small part of Banff National Park's nature. Calgary Power's ad hoc hydroelectric development of the Bow continued. Ghost Dam was built in 1929; a major development on the Bow's tributary, Spray River ,

2442-681: The Bow region for thousands of years. Among them were the Nakoda , Tsuu Tʼina , and the Blackfoot Confederacy , consisting of the Kainai , Piikanai, and Siksika peoples. The Kutenai had migrated westward, possibly in the early eighteenth century, but still occasionally ventured into the Bow region to hunt bison. First Nations used the river's valleys for the buffalo hunt, in which herds of buffalo were driven over cliffs or into valleys where they could be killed more easily with bows and arrows. Of all

2516-436: The Bow. The river's aesthetic qualities had increasing priority in terms of effects of development within the borders of a National Park. The Bow river contains seven dams and weirs on its main stream and ten other dams on its tributaries. In response to the 2013 Alberta floods a new reservoir storage is being proposed on the river. Three options are being considered including a new dam near Morley , an expanded Ghost Dam or

2590-520: The Calgary Marriott and Fairmont Palliser Hotel . Landmark skyscrapers in this district are Scotia Centre , Bankers Hall , and Eighth Avenue Place . The "Udderly Art Legacy Pasture", a collection of decorated fiberglass cows built in 2000, is hosted mainly in the Centennial Parkade, while other particular exponates are spread throughout the city. The East Village is an area to the east of

2664-453: The Canadian Pacific Railway, the company who led the development of Banff, realized this element. When work began on a new luxury hotel in Banff in 1886–87, Van Horne personally redesigned and reoriented the plans so that the guests of the hotel would be able to see the vista of the Bow River. Many early postcards from Banff, as well as some current ones, prominently featured the Bow River. From

2738-767: The Canadian government at Blackfoot Crossing on the Bow River and signed Treaty 7 on 22 September 1877, ceding lands in exchange for defined reserves. From the perspective of the Canadian government, these groups had surrendered all their land privileges outside their reserves. The reserves of the Nakoda, Tsuu Tʼina, and Siksika were established along the Bow River. Calgary was growing rapidly after 1900. The city businessmen pressed for dam construction in order to generate cheaper power from hydroelectric sources. William Maxwell Aitken , later with R. B. Bennett , formed Calgary Power Company in 1910. That year, on property purchased from

2812-531: The Downtown Commercial Core. This area was plagued by crime and homelessness for a long time. However, the area has seen a great amount of redevelopment since the late 2000s. In 2007, the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation began construction on $ 357 million worth of infrastructure upgrades to the neighbourhood, bringing all streets above flood plain levels, upgrading sewers and storm drains, and building plazas. The neighbourhood has since become

2886-560: The First Nations groups that lived in the Bow River area, only the Nakoda fished the river regularly. While other groups likely caught fish during harder times, they primarily hunted buffalo during the summer season when fishing would have been most plentiful. The river's water naturally attracted game, which the First Nations men also hunted, while women gathered the roots, nuts and berries and processed them for food. The river's game, its local sources for firewood, and its valleys' shelter made

2960-682: The Government District. The government district is an informal subdivision of the downtown core, and is centered along Macleod Trail , between the commercial core, Chinatown and Downtown East Village . It contains the City Hall, the Calgary Public Library , the Calgary Police headquarters, the Harry Hays building (federal government), Bow Valley College , the United States consulate and

3034-576: The Hall , Les Deux Mondes, Peggy Baker , Daniel MacIvor , and the OYR Ensemble itself. His Excellency Jean-Daniel Lafond was the Rodeo’s Honorary Patron from 2008-2009. He and Governor General Michaëlle Jean attended performances and hosted three “Art Matters” community forums as part of the festival. OYR has toured across North America , Australia , Asia , Mexico and Europe . The 1990s saw

Downtown Calgary - Misplaced Pages Continue

3108-455: The Nakoda, Calgary Power began constructing Alberta's first major hydroelectric plant, Horseshoe Dam. Calgary Power had problems before this dam was completed in 1911. The Bow River originates from a northern mountain, and its flow varies considerably depending upon the amount and location of winter snowfalls. A comprehensive study of the Bow's flow measurements had not been conducted. In its operations, Calgary Power relied upon estimates of

3182-533: The city began negotiating a CPR reroute that would follow the south bank of the Bow River, turning it into a parkway and the CPR's rail mainline. Among the plan's critics was the Local Council of Women, reminding the city of its 1955 promise for a river park. After negotiations between the CPR and Calgary ended in failure in 1964, urban elites, such as golf clubs, increasingly endorsed the Local Council of Women's idea for

3256-566: The community. Downtown West End is also well connected into the Plus 15 skywalk system. Chinatown is located directly north of the Downtown Commercial Core and northwest of the East Village. The neighbourhood is characterized by high-density living and a high density of East Asian retail and restaurants. Calgary's Chinatown is home to the largest Chinese Cultural Centre in North America. Designed in

3330-470: The confluence of the Elbow River and the Bow. In order to proceed with railway construction through present-day Alberta and an orderly settlement of the Bow region, the government sought to extinguish title of First Nations to specific lands, and negotiated to do so through treaties . With bison numbers declining and white settlers becoming increasingly common in the region, the Nakoda, Tsuu Tʼina, Kainai, Piikanai, and Siksika met with representatives of

3404-631: The district's irrigation development. The EID currently owns and operates the Rolling Hills Reservoir Campground. In 1951, the Province of Alberta also established Kinbrook Island Provincial Park on the eastern bank of the Newell reservoir, which has been stocked with native species of fish. The Western Irrigation District (WID), headquartered in Strathmore, Alberta , was the second half of

3478-558: The emergence of an advanced consumer society. Unlike the pre-World War II elitist ideology of conservationist production, this emergent approach in North America was of grassroots consumers democratically engaging in environmental issues, and there was often tension between the public and managers of the environment. After an Alberta Environment official discovered a toxic "blob" in the Bow in October 1989, human needs again were given priority. Originating from an abandoned wood-preserving plant on

3552-443: The growth of its tourist sector. Hunting and fishing are now promoted on the EID's website. The Bow River provides habitat for wildlife and many opportunities for recreation such as fishing and boating. Both fly fishermen and spinner fishermen share the river in all four seasons of the year. Serious anglers from all over the world visit the Bow River for its thriving population of brown trout and rainbow trout . The Bow River holds

3626-655: The land divested by the CPR. The WID was established in 1944. The water of the WID, diverted at the Calgary Weir, is instrumental to southern Alberta agriculture and, unlike the other two districts, supports the urban needs city of Calgary. It is able to supply both agricultural and urban needs since the WID has higher levels of rainfall than the other two districts, and it receives much of Calgary's storm water. The Bow River Irrigation District (BRID), headquartered in Vauxhall, Alberta ,

3700-399: The middle of downtown in an east–west direction, and the ride is free on this section. The future Green Line will run underground through downtown under 2nd Street, in a north–south direction. Calgary's dense business area comprises the bulk of the downtown community. It is a core of skyscrapers. As of February 2017, eight of the ten tallest buildings in western Canada , and a few of

3774-465: The neighbouring lake and in 1992, because of these developments, Chestermere was declared a town. Similarity, after a three-year refurbishing project ending in 1987, the town of Bassano , about 8 kilometres (5 mi) northeast of the dam, began advertising the Bassano dam as a tourist attraction for the town. At this point the Bassano dam now also started offering group tours, fishing and picnic areas, and

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3848-576: The population of the five combined downtown neighbourhoods surpassing 18,000 as of 2016, Downtown Calgary now has a significantly larger population than that of other Canadian cities of similar size, such as Ottawa and Edmonton . While Downtown Calgary continues to grow, the Beltline neighbourhood to the immediate south, with a population of 21,958 as of 2016, is taking up the majority of residential development in inner city Calgary. Calgary Transit 's CTrain light rail system runs down 7th Avenue S. through

3922-1219: The population reported as low income residents. As of 2006, 44.3% of the residents in the commercial core were immigrants . A proportion of 99.7% of the buildings were condominiums or apartments , and 95.9% of the housing was used for renting . In the May 2023-May 2024 data period, the Downtown Commercial Core had a crime rate of 12.705/100, a decrease from the previous data period. This puts it at this comparison to other Calgary communities: Saddle Ridge (1.358/100), Whitehorn (1.741/100), Rundle (2.342/100), Brentwood (2.348/100), Acadia (2.542/100), Bowness (2.934/100), Shawnessy (3.296/100), Inglewood (3.438/100), Sunnyside (3.650/100), Marlborough (4.703/100), Southwood (5.147/100), Sunalta (5.307/100), Montgomery (5.483/100), Forest Lawn (6.528/100), Rosscarrock (7.049/100), Downtown Commercial Core (12.705/100), Downtown East Village (15.605/100), Manchester (43.368/100). 51°02′58.3″N 114°04′12.2″W  /  51.049528°N 114.070056°W  / 51.049528; -114.070056 Bow River The Bow River

3996-409: The railway. In 1929 the CPR split the property into two parts and divested itself of both sections. In 1935 a delegation of irrigation farmers took control of the eastern section and established the EID. The EID, diverting its water at the Bassano and Newell dams, is the largest private land owner in Alberta. Recently the EID began promoting the recreational possibilities that have developed alongside

4070-514: The recreational facilities they offer. Since their construction, the dams along the Bow River have played a central role in the development of the adjacent communities. Two key examples that demonstrate the connection of recreation and tourism with irrigation are the Chestermere and Basano dams. Following the construction of the Chestermere Dam in 1907, housing developments began to occur around

4144-470: The redevelopment has started, the neighbourhood has seen $ 2.7 billion worth of investment. The West End is a high-rise, high-density residential neighbourhood to the west of the Downtown Commercial Core. The neighbourhood is home to Millennium Park , which plays host to a large skate park, and is the home of the Calgary Pride celebration every September. The Downtown West - Kerby C-Train station serves

4218-445: The river a common camp location for First Nations during the prairie winters. The danger of crossing the river meant it was a natural boundary for First Nations. The two main fords of the lower Bow River, Blackfoot Crossing and a ford near the Bow's confluence with the Elbow River (where today's central Calgary developed), became important gathering points for First Nations to exchange goods and celebrate festivities. Blackfoot Crossing

4292-476: The river was not used extensively in the fur trade. First Nations already weakened by declining buffalo numbers and disease were further devastated by the introduction of the whisky trade. Fort Whoop-Up was established in 1869, and whisky traders were active along the Bow River during the 1870s. To stop these operations, the recently formed North-West Mounted Police (later the RCMP ) established Fort Calgary in 1875 at

4366-496: The river's banks, is considered a part of Calgary's self-image. First Nations made varied use of the river for sustenance before settlers of European origin arrived, such as using its valleys in the buffalo hunt . The name Bow refers to the reeds that grew along its banks and were used by the First Nations to make bows; the Blackfoot language name for the river is Makhabn , meaning "river where bow reeds grow". The river

4440-415: The river's environment. Their attitudes were not strictly human-centric, but, like those favoring a park system in Calgary, they defined the Bow River's environment as something worth preserving for human use. Greater changes in attitude toward the river were manifest in the Bow River Water Quality Council's reports over time. By 1994, the reports emphasized the importance of the Bow's ecological balance as

4514-705: The river's minimum flow during winter conditions. Thus, despite the amount of energy the company had contracted, it could not reliably fulfill these obligations during winters. With capital already invested in Horseshoe, Calgary Power opened another hydroelectric plant and reservoir two years later at Kananaskis Falls just upstream from Horseshoe Falls. A storage reservoir was also created within Banff National Park in 1912 at Lake Minnewanka . Despite this additional reservoir and both plants, Calgary Power still struggled to fulfill its power contracts during winter months. In

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4588-410: The river, the inflatable boat , the Jon boat and the canoe . There are several spots on the river to launch watercraft , including Graves Landing, Highway 22X Bridge, Policeman's Flats and McKinnon Flats. The Bow River pathway , is developed on both banks of the river throughout the city of Calgary and is used for cycling , hiking , jogging , as well as rollerblading and skateboarding . Along

4662-443: The second time in eight years, the BRID will increase its demand on the Bow River by roughly 10 percent. Of the 45 crops that are grown in the Bow River basin, only 10 could be produced without irrigation. Because of the dependence of the region on Bow River irrigation water, in the early 21st century all three irrigation districts began to make major changes in order to continue to serve their large mandated areas. In 2006, as

4736-555: The southern half of the province along the Bow, Elbow , Highwood and Oldman rivers and tributaries. A dozen municipalities declared local states of emergency on June 20 as water levels rose, and numerous communities were placed under evacuation orders. In 1887 the Canadian parliament, under the urging of the Canadian Pacific Railway vice-president, William Van Horne , and the federal land agent, William Pearce , created Rocky Mountains Park, later renamed Banff National Park . Originally 647 square kilometres (250 sq mi), it

4810-437: The tallest in the country, are in Calgary. It is arguably the densest downtown area of any city of its size in North America. Many of the buildings are connected via an 18 km (11 mi) long network of elevated walkways and bridges. The system, known as the " +15 " is the largest of its kind in the world. The area surrounding the Stephen Avenue Walk is Downtown Calgary's primary retail area. Stephen Avenue (8th Avenue SW)

4884-433: The tourists and residents of Banff. Pouring raw sewage into one of the main attractions of the park polluted both the river and, more importantly, the image of Banff. There was also fear that continued reliance on the Bow as a natural sewer would either cap the development of Banff or eventually have great risk to public health. By the 1960s, the town built a modern sewage facility and stopped releasing untreated waters into

4958-418: Was Canada's first national park and included part of the Bow River. Eventually the park grew to include the Bow Glacier, an outflow of the Wapta Icefield and the source of the Bow River. The designation of the national park marked a turning point in the public's perception of the Bow River. The river began to be appreciated for its aesthetic value in addition to its industrial and agricultural uses. Officials of

5032-432: Was a generally derelict commercial zone. The Calgary Local Council of Women was the most vocal advocate for turning this area into a park system as a part of a broader campaign for improved public and social services. Calgary City Council agreed to the idea in 1955, but by 1959 little progress had been made to fund the project. To accommodate increasing traffic flow through the growing city, the Canadian Pacific Railway and

5106-468: Was built within Banff National Park, this time on the Cascade River , a tributary of the Bow. Between 1910 and 1960, the Bow River was radically changed as it was systematically engineered to control its water flow and provide hydroelectric power. The seasonal summer flooding in Calgary was an issue of the past. Water was held by reservoirs during spring and summer, permitting steady power generation during fall and winter. Comparing 1924–33 to 1954–63,

5180-410: Was completed in 1951; and, at the behest of the provincial government, Bearspaw Dam was built in 1954 just west of Calgary to control flooding (the dam included a generating station) and 1955 saw the development of two reservoirs on the Kananaskis River in what is now Peter Lougheed Provincial Park World War II's industrial demand increased pressure on the river: another hydroelectric development

5254-490: Was created in 1968, making it the most recent district to be supplied by the Bow. The BRID diverts the Bow at the Carseland weir and also uses the McGregor, Travers, and Little Bow dams. Each has a reservoir that is also used for recreational purposes. In March 2012, the citizens of the BRID voted in favour of expanding the area of the district by 110 square kilometres (28,000 acres). An expansion of 85 square kilometres (21,000 acres) passed in 2004 as well. This means that, for

5328-579: Was developed from reclaimed industrial land, fronts the Bow River and sits immediately north of 3rd Avenue South. North of Eau Claire is Prince's Island Park , a large urban park on an island in the Bow River and the site of many summer festivals, including the Calgary Folk Music Festival, Carifest, Shakespeare in the Park and various busking happenings . Within Eau Claire is Eau Claire Market and

5402-532: Was used by the Siksika as a winter campsite and is today a part of their reserve. The fur trader James Gaddy and the Hudson's Bay Company explorer David Thompson are traditionally considered to be the first people of European origin to see the Bow River. They camped along the Bow with a group of Piikani during the 1787–88 winter. Fur traders began to move to the Bow River region following Thompson's expedition, but

5476-446: Was valued above all when it suited human goals. Calgary eventually developed an extensive plan for the Bow River's park system , and it is considered an important element of Calgary's self-image today. The grassroots advocacy done by the Local Council of Women denotes emerging environmental sensibilities that are representative of larger trends occurring in North America during this period. Samuel Hays associated such movements with

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