Calgary Metropolitan Plan

Client Calgary Regional Partnership
Location Calgary | Alberta | Canada

The Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP), initiated in 1999, includes 18 municipalities and one First Nation in the Calgary area. Strong levels of growth across the region are expected to attract an additional 1.5 to 2 million people to the region over the next 50 to 70 years. The benefits and challenges that come with growth extend beyond individual municipal boundaries; in recognizing this challenge, the CRP members agreed that a regional land use plan was needed. The Calgary Metropolitan Plan (CMP) was developed to encourage balanced growth that will fulfill the region’s vision and aspirations— healthy environment, prosperous economy, enriched communities, and sustainable infrastructure. O2 was part of the core planning team for this ambitious project.

O2 provided regional planning consultation and modelling services. Specifically, O2 was the lead for several major tasks including: developing plan evaluation criteria and performance indicators; creating and mapping land use and land cover classifications for the entire region; interpreting and mapping available GIS datasets; identifying indispensable landscape ecological patterns; developing and assessing spatially explicit “learning scenarios”; and creating 3D visualizations of scenarios. O2 also provided support for other key tasks including extensive stakeholder consultations, policy analysis and development, and various graphic and communication products for internal and external audiences.

O2 facilitated the regional planning process to move between spatial scales while considering different ecological, social, and economic issues. Incorporating spatially explicit planning and modelling methods into the regional planning process produced clear results—a more objective analysis and informed decisions that were consistent with the regional vision.