KOURTNEY BRANAGAN
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Downtown Calgary

3/4/2021

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Our downtown is beleaguered, and this strains our capacity as a city economically and socially. I say this with a heavy heart while acknowledging the reality of the situation. We know what’s to blame: a combination of factors which no one could have predicted coinciding. We can focus on pointing fingers at what has gone wrong, or we can look forward to the work ahead with determination, boldness, and an unwavering commitment to learn from our mistakes
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A few facts and features: 
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  • Calgary is one of the densest downtowns in North America. The +15 system is the largest of its kind at 18km (and counting) in length.
  • We have the iconic Calgary Tower, The Bow (which my children affectionately call the celery tower), and the newest building, Telus Sky which is mixed use (commercial and residential) with an integrated public art piece. The Central Library is internationally recognized for its architecture. The North side of downtown and Princes Island is a haven for lunch time recreation use and weekend festivals.
  • Both SAIT and UofC (School of Architecture, Landscaping, and Planning) have created two schools in the downtown core.
  • Two of Canada's biggest parades are hosted in downtown (Stampede, Pride).
To date, there is strategy work led by the City underway to rethink components of downtown including Chinatown, The Green Line, East Village, Eau Claire, the Arts & Entertainment District, and Stephen Avenue. These are components of a broader overall downtown strategy. Our go forward adoption needs to be innovative, flexible, and have room to adapt as new demands from commercial and residential tenants, along with the needs of Calgarians and tourists, shift. Covid has taught us the future is unpredictable and when unprepared, devastating. 

Covid has also taught us that we are resilient and capable of change. We can re-learn and re-think not only how we behave but how we want to interact with our city. Being forced to experience our city has made many people hyper-aware of both our challenges and opportunities.

We know that attraction is two-sided. Calgary needs to flirt with all they’ve got: flaunt our assets and showcase our willingness to create partnerships. With the City leading investment into the downtown core, we should have the confidence and belief to know the market will rise to meet us. With vacancy rates nearing 30% the market needs to know Calgarians are invested in their downtown space. The market, both commercial and residential, needs a home which offers tenants vibrancy, safety, livability, and predictability. 

Revitalizing our downtown core will be as much about nurturing relationships among businesses, citizens and residents, and government as it will be about tackling climate objectives, homelessness, and economic prosperity. No single economy will be the future of Calgary. Having a downtown which supports vibrancy in arts and culinary ventures, fosters innovative companies, supports student learning, and bolsters our tourism industry must all be a priority while supporting existing industries from oil and gas to banking. 
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There are many proposals on the table for rethinking our vacancy rates. Converting buildings to housing is one of them. I am cautious about this approach because of two things: (1) The revenue the city retains from residential property tax is significantly lower than commercial property tax thus potentially creating further economic challenges. (2) The amenities to support additional density need to be part of the support system: grocery stores, pet stores, doctors, pharmacies, child care centers, schools, recreation, parks, playgrounds, 

Part of the intention of a dense core is to encourage a walkable and bikeable neighborhood. At present, our downtown core is poorly equipped to support residents in this way. I am not saying conversion shouldn’t be part of a bold strategy. Striking the balance between what comes first, residents or commercial, is going to take commitment.

Another opportunity is for existing commercial spaces to rethink their leasing options. Size of space, term of lease, cost of lease, parking options, just to name a few. How can we (ie City of Calgary) incentivize property owners to innovate their leasing models to encourage new businesses to be part of downtown? Can we explore mechanisms for tax breaks to those properties which can attract new tenants? Can we waive or reduce fees for building and development permits? We will need to explore financial implications to the city if we choose to waive fees or give tax breaks in both short term budget cycles and long term planning.
I ask, knowing these are just surface level questions, which require all parties coming to the table willing to compromise, create, explore through trial and error, and willing to be open to change. It’s going to take consensus building through businesses, city departments, fellow council members, and citizens at large.
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Overall, the needs of downtown require long term thinking. It will be about asking questions, about a commitment to a comprehensive process to get to a sustainable outcome.

I am willing to do the work. To not throw simple answers at a complicated problem. I am willing to let experts lead us. I am willing to champion and support investment into our future.

Kourtney

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Vibrant and Sustainable Communities (Pt. 1)

2/1/2021

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One of my key platform planks is Community. Community is more than your neighbourhood, it is the group of people who give you a sense of belonging, safety, and purpose. Community can be your walking group, faith organization, hockey team, school families, gardening club. Often though, these things are fairly proximal to where you live. 

When I speak about creating vibrant and thriving communities, many things come to mind. This post will specifically deal with neighbourhoods and thinking about future planning for Calgary through the Guidebook for Great Communities.
Ward 11 has a broad range of neighbourhoods. From the still being built Quarry Park, or recently new Garrison Green, to established communities seeing transformation in housing types through zoning changes and, and those communities on the cusp of changes mostly centred around current commercial locations. This variance means amenities like playgrounds and transit stations are at different life cycle stages, some infrastructure is still to be built, and there are also utility considerations surrounding re-development. 
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This week, the Guidebook for Great Communities goes before the Planning and Urban Development (PUD) committee to be voted on to refer to council for a vote for adoption (March 2021). The Guidebook is a high level planning document which lays the groundwork for re-imagining the functions and form of our neighbourhoods.

I've been fortunate to be part of the working group to shape the Guidebook. I came to be on the group through my work as a community advocate in Haysboro on the planning committee and as president of the community association. To the group I brought the perspective of community members and advocated strongly for the use of language that was common - ie. not planner speak. I also know that there is much concern over how the guidebook can affect communities and specifically individual properties around zoning. This FAQ page answers many issues including the fact that the guidebook does not make a blanket zoning change in neighbourhoods.

I endorse the guidebook. In part because yes, I was on the working group, have been a part of multiple planning exercises for Haysboro and Ward 11, but also I see the the opportunity the guidebook affords us in thinking about some of the larger challenges established neighbourhoods face around aging infrastructure and amenities. The guidebook lays the framework for tools being created in the Established Areas working groups (which I'm also a part of) - this is the conversation on how dollars are invested into neighbourhoods when development happens. The guidebook also is the basis for a Local Area Plan - in which multiple communities actively work together to imagine the future. The guidebook by very nature set the stage for participatory planning, this is its greatest success.

Yes, it is an ambitious piece of policy that encourages densification. It also encourages local commercial integration into neighbourhoods so businesses can thrive. It demonstrates how commercial and residential can operate in tandem to create a vibrant sense of community. It makes space for thinking about the neighbourhood as a whole rather than individual lots - this leads to thinking about how green spaces, parks, libraries, schools, transit, and recreation amenities continue to stay viable and operational through a well populated residential strategy. This is as much about the future economy as it is about the future of how we can live sustainably in our neighbourhoods, flexing through housing types as our needs change throughout the years.

Currently, most Ward 11 communities are below peak population. Densification gets us our best return on investment for services - fire, police, snow clearing, transit, utility upgrades and delivery. I want neighbourhoods where schools aren't at risk of closure. I want residents to be able to operate a thriving local business in their community - restaurants, flower shops, massage studios. I want to be able to walk to get milk or a coffee. I want playgrounds to be upgraded not through fundraising but because there is a tax base which provides the City with the funds needed to take on upkeep. 

I want you to know that I'm aware of the concerns many have. I am invested in supporting communities through planning. I believe that new residential units bring people coming to your community - neighbours, friends, volunteers, students, local business owners. People are what make communities, not buildings. Providing choice, space, and opportunity for many is what I support.

Kourtney

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Embracing Winter

1/12/2021

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I have always appreciated that Calgary gets four seasons - perhaps not equal in length with spring and fall seeming to be less than a month each,  but none the less, so many in the world are envious of our snow. Our temperate climate and proximity to the mountains means winter comes and goes with the Chinooks, and yet I see year over year an embracing of our 'winterness'. This year the Parks Foundation in partnership with the City of Calgary released a specific winter city activity grant - the program was oversubscribed! How amazing that so many community groups wanted to bring winter vibrancy to their neighbourhoods!
Ward 11 is full of winter activities. From set cross-country ski tracks to toboggan hills, or new this year - the winter fire pit pilot project, there is something in every neighbourhood. The team has put together a map of winter amenities, categorized by type. Check it out!
Ward 11 Winter Amenities
We've also created a winter city checklist for you to complete on your own or with your family. Help beat the blahs and get outside!
Download the Winter City Checklist
Lastly - check out these two resources. Edmonton has done a great job embracing winter, dare I say we should be more like them?
  • Edmonton Winter City
  • Winter Cities Institute
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Be sure to thank the many volunteers who make winter activities possible for us. Most community rinks are volunteer led efforts as are many activities. And, if we've missed anything on the map, please let us know!
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Starting 2021 with 'Why'

1/7/2021

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I imagined starting the year off with a message with a bit more joy and reflection on my 2020 that has brought me here. A celebration of sorts.

This past week of events in Calgary, Alberta, and across North America has me asking myself and wondering: what on earth I’m doing endeavoring to go into politics? Is this what I really want to be a part of?

The answer is no. I don’t want to be a part of any of what we’re currently watching - lying, rule breaking, entitlement, inciting division and hatred, and an abject failure to take responsibility.

I am horrified, disgusted, and saddened at the events that are playing out this week. These events will (and should) reverberate into the months and years ahead.

As I watch, I wonder how we can turn this around? How do we build trust again? How do we overcome the fear, fatigue, and loneliness so many are feeling leading to our collective distaste for government and the people who are elected and hired into positions of power? 

Before the how, we need to ask why. Why is it important to us, to me, to want something different? Why are we afraid? Why are we tired of the current state of politics? Why do we feel alone?

The answer is either deeply complex but more likely, incredibly simple. I’m going to be critical and say those from across the political spectrum are collectively speaking words and using language which drives us into a deficit mindset: one of feeling alone and afraid. The words of those in power falsely create enemies of each other by implying nothing another does is ever good enough, talking about resources as if there’s a finite amount for only certain kinds of people, pointing to differences rather than commonalities. When this messaging is reinforced by all leaders regardless of political stripe, the void between us grows.

The result: we have adults who are so deeply hurting that rather than leaning into their families and communities for support, they lash out at strangers with verbal and physical violence. This is happening in person and to a horrific degree, online. We are broken and there is no spirit of leadership to work together, to overcome challenges through intentional conversation and action.

It is not lost on me that in a time where we are physically more isolated than ever, a time when we are sharing collective grief, missing friends, family, and community, we have been divided more than ever. In a time when we could have been united, when those who lead could have set aside politics in favour of humanity and humility, they didn’t. Covid has been a situation when we could have found more in common with each other than different.
The disconnect is obvious - even my children are confused. I say to my kids, you don’t have to like or agree with everyone, but you need to be kind.

So why am I running? I’m a human who can see hurt but also hope in others. I’m the optimist who recognizes that moving forward requires consensus built through a pragmatic and realistic approach. The need to embrace innovation, build community, and compromise has never been more urgent. The need for real truths, hard truths, and discomfort must be embraced with humility by those who lead and reflected in their language.

What does this sound like and look like?
  • Frank and plain comments  - You understand what is being said to you and why.
  • Decisions you may not agree with but you can see are made with consideration, using the available information and made without bias or for personal gain.
  • Honest apologies - mistakes happen and taking ownership of actions is what grown ups do.
  • Emotional responses that include joy, sadness, frustration, curiosity, and compassion.
  • And a bit of humour.

Writing this allows me to reflect on my values and the values I’ve set out for this campaign. This allows you to hold me to account to practice that which I’d like to see.
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I am hopeful for 2021. I know incredible people building community, building a resilient innovative future, and can’t wait to meet more of them throughout this campaign.
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Ward 11 in the City of Calgary is one small corner of Treaty 7 land. As immediate neighbours of the Tsuut'ina nation we recognize all of Ward 11 residents live, work, and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot confederacy, the Stony Nakoda nation, and Metis Nation Region 3. As neighbours we are stewards to the prosperous and just future for Indigenous Canadians including Urban Indigenous who live across Calgary and live in Treaty 7 territory. 
Copyright 2021 Kourtney Branagan