The City of Calgary announces investment into final west piece of Downtown River Promenade

Calgary has an incredible pathway system rooted in the confluence of rivers, open skies, and breathable spaces. A favourite among locals and tourists, the river pathway system connects Calgarians to 700 kilometres of scenic pathways. The RiverWalk West project presents an opportunity to create a unique and continuous public promenade from East Village to the west end of downtown past 14 Street S.W.

RiverWalk West will build upon the success of the previous stages – including Jack and Jean Leslie RiverWalk between Fort Calgary and Centre Street, which was built by Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, the revitalized Eau Claire Promenade and West Eau Claire Park – to create a vibrant, high quality riverfront destination, with park and pathway amenities that connect communities and people to the Bow River and the downtown.

Recognizing the uniqueness of this pathway system, we are taking a distinct approach to the design of the new space by initiating a design competition for industry professionals. Design competitions can offer many benefits by encouraging a broad range of innovative solutions, and creativity to a challenging site. We would like to thank everyone who participated in this process. It is with great pleasure that we announce the five shortlisted teams for the competition:

·       Dub Architects + Hapa Collaborative

·       ground3 Landscape Architects

·       Public City Architecture

·       space2place landscape architects

·       W Architecture & Landscape Architecture

To support the shortlisted teams with the next phase of the competition, we are leading public engagement until July 31, 2023, to understand opportunities to improve the existing and adjacent spaces. Feedback collected during engagement will be shared with the shortlisted teams to help inform and inspire design concepts.

“We are excited to be working on the next stage of our beloved pathway system,” says Tamara Marajh, Project Manager for The City of Calgary. “We have all the confidence that these teams are up for the design challenge, and we look forward to hearing the public’s input which will help shape our river promenade for years to come.”

In fall 2023, the five design concepts will be shared with the public for a second phase of engagement. Feedback collected during the second phase of engagement will help the jury of industry professionals select the final design for RiverWalk West.

For more information, visit engage.calgary.ca/RiverWalkWest.