Calgary is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately 80 km (50 mi) east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. The city is located in the Grassland region of Alberta.As of 2011, the City of Calgary had a population of 1,096,833 and a metropolitan population of 1,214,839, making it the third-largest municipality and fifth-largest metropolitan area in Canada. Located 294 km (183 mi) south of Edmonton, Statistics Canada defines the narrowly populated area between these cities as the "Calgary--Edmonton Corridor." Economic activity in Calgary is mostly centred on the petroleum industry, agriculture, and tourism.[5] In 1988, Calgary became the first Canadian city to host the Olympic Winter Games. The oil boom: Oil was first discovered in Alberta in 1902, but it did not become a significant industry in the province until 1947 when huge reserves of it were discovered. Calgary quickly found itself at the centre of the ensuing oil boom. The city's economy grew when oil prices increased with the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973. The population increased by 272,000 in the eighteen years between 1971 (403,000) and 1989 (675,000) and another 345,000 in the next eighteen years (to 1,020,000 in 2007). During these boom years, skyscrapers were constructed and the relatively low-rise downtown quickly became dense with tall buildings, a trend that continues to this day. Calgary's economy was so closely tied to the oil industry that the city's boom peaked with the average annual price of oil in 1981.The subsequent drop in oil prices were cited by industry as reasons for a collapse in the oil industry and consequently the overall Calgary economy. However, low oil prices prevented a full recovery until the 1990s Future of the +15 system: The Plus 15 or +15 Skyway network in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is the world's most extensive pedestrian skywalk system with a total length of 16 kilometers (9.9 miles) and 59 bridges.[1] The system is so named because the skywalks are approximately 15 feet (approximately 4.5 metres) above street level. (Some Plus 15 skywalks are multi-level, with higher levels being referred to as +30's and +45's.) The system was conceived and designed by architect Harold Hanen, who worked for the Calgary Planning Department from 1966 to 1969. This development earned him the 1970 Vincent Massey Award for Merit in Urban Planning. Opening in 1970, the +15 network has expanded to include 59 enclosed bridges connecting dozens of downtown Calgary buildings. The central core of the system is a series of enclosed shopping centres, and the city's flagship department stores. New developments were required to connect to the walkway system; in exchange for this, they were offered more floorspace (the "bonus density"). When not physically able to connect to nearby buildings, developers contribute to the "Plus 15 Fund", managed by the city, used to finance other missing connections. In recent years, the city has begun to re-evaluate the system. Part of the goal of these studies was to find ways of addressing the problem of decreased daytime street life on some downtown streets. The possibility of limiting expansion has been raised to encourage more pedestrian street traffic. The +15 system bridges are integral with the buildings they serve. City planning by-laws presently confer tax credits to developers and building owners who connect new buildings to the existing system. This may change in the future, however, if the city begins to consider relaxing these bylaws. Presently, however, businesses and general public make extensive use of the +15 system—a system that has served to enhance the flow of human traffic. The +15 system has and will likely continue to provide both economic and climatic benefits now and in the future. List of buildings connected: 333 5th Avenue 444 7th Avenue 505 3rd Street 606 4th Avenue 635 8th Avenue 715 5th Avenue 736 6th Avenue 840 7th Avenue e.m...

• published: 05 Mar 2012
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