Inner-city renaissance

Local business districts are striving to reinvent themselves as coveted places to live, work and play and Calgary is no exception.

The Lilac Festival, Marda Gras and Stephen Avenue Walk have been firmly established events in the areas respective to Fourth Street, Marda Loop and downtown, that may conjure up warm and festive images to many Calgarians.

Yet behind these popular areas and events is the hard work of local businesses that are integral to the economic and social fabric of the city.

“Calgary’s Business Revitalization Zones (BRZs) are naturally becoming incubation centres for small, locally- owned and managed businesses, and the creative industries that make these communities and the city unique,” said Richard Pootmans, business development manager of Calgary Economic Development.

As a testament to the vital and strategic role of BRZs in Calgary, the Calgary Downtown Association has been instrumental in securing the hosting of the 2008 International Downtown Association Conference.

The international forum will put Calgary’s BRZs on centre stage and showcase to the world their efforts and strides in urban revitalization.

The Alberta government introduced legislation in 1983, allowing municipalities across the province to establish BRZs to promote and enhance their specific areas.

A year later, Calgary’s first BRZ in the area of Uptown 17th was created.

Since that time, another eight have formed—Marda Loop, Kensington-Louise Crossing, Inglewood, Calgary Downtown Association, Fourth Street, International Avenue, Bowness and Victoria Crossing—representing 5,400 businesses and 20 per cent of all of Calgary’s commercial activity, totalling over $660-million in assessment value.

Each has a significant impact on Calgary’s urban culture through their collective investment in enhancing, beautifying and promoting the physical identity and economic viability of the city’s commercial districts.

“As economic development agencies look to foster a diversified economy, cities will increasingly depend on a varied and stimulating urban environment to attract and retain business,” Pootmans said.

According to Pootmans, it’s up to the business owners to initiate the BRZ —they pay the cost, while property owners and the city share in the benefits—and elect a board of directors to determine how to spend the money. The ultimate goal is to generate more business and, in turn, increase revenue.

He added that creating an urban environment that doesn’t empty out at the end of the business day helps reinforce the diversity, creativity and desirability of Calgary as a major North American centre.

Pootmans says the drive to stay competitive today includes a focus on clean and safe environments as well as programs for lighting, signs, storefronts, landscaping, homelessness, parking, urban planning, business retention and recruitment, and cultural offerings.

He added that local business associations revitalize communities, give them character and provide a sense of community.

“BRZs are helping to create a more vibrant city and to attract new talent in the global economy,” Pootmans said.

“Realizing that potential, BRZs and commercial districts are growing and thriving in an environment that helps define the business and social climate of Calgary.”

They also support small business, “which employs thousands of workers and helps create significant economic spinoffs to the city as a whole, providing $59-million in business taxes annually to the city,” Pootmans said.

“Calgary’s BRZs now exercise a vital leadership role in their communities, articulating strategic alternatives and forging conditions for change,” said Eileen Stan, executive director of Victoria Crossing BRZ.

She said business workers and tourists increasingly have a wide range of choice and will go where barriers are minimal and amenities are best. She added that Victoria Crossing, like many of its city counterparts, “brings new energy, new resources and new leadership to Calgary’s urban domain and public life.”

Jennifer Rempel, manager of the Fourth Street BRZ, said not only is the BRZ an excellent vehicle to promote the identity of the business district through advertising and special events, but the BRZ is also a united voice to communicate their point of view directly to city council.

“The Fourth Street BRZ is unique because we are an event-based entity,” Rempel said, pointing to the Lilac Fesitval, which attracts up to 100,000 people into the area in May of each year.

According to Rempel, her organization has a keen interest in developing close relationships with the more than 250 businesses in the area, being involved in planning and policy decisions and the future planning of the neighbourhood.

“Drawing appreciation by both local residents as well as visitors, and establishing the area as a people place is the main role of our BRZ,” Rempel said.

Rempel noted that one of the proud achievements of her BRZ is the establishment of Calgary’s largest outdoor art in the area with help from the Public Art Society.

“Together we have created an artistic ambience on Fourth Street with a unique sculpture theme that both entertains and educates."

“This not only beautifies the area but also helps in furthering the pedestrian-friendly feel of it,” Rempel said.

This article originally appeared in the Calgary Journal