Bridgeland-Riverside Riverside | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Neighbourhood | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Bridgeland seen fromCalgary Tower | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  Bridgeland-Riverside Location of Bridgeland inCalgary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates:51°03′17″N114°02′46″W / 51.05472°N 114.04611°W /51.05472; -114.04611 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Province | Alberta | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| City | Calgary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Quadrant | NE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wards | 7,9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Established | 1908 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Annexed | 1910 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| • Mayor |
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| • Administrative body | Calgary City Council | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| • Councillors |
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| Area | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Total | 3.2 km2 (1.2 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 1,055 m (3,461 ft) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Population (2011)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Total | 5,254 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| • Median Household Income | $64,201 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Postal code | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | brcacalgary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bridgeland-Riverside, formerly known asBridgeland,Riverside, andGermantown,[3] is a neighbourhood inCalgary,Alberta, Canada, is located northeast ofDowntown Calgary. It is bounded to the south by theBow River, to the east byDeerfoot Trail, to the west byEdmonton Trail and to the north by the community ofRenfrew.
The community is primarily residential with a mix of parkside condominiums and single-family houses. Bridgeland contains a variety of restaurants, food markets, retail shopping, offices, financial services, churches and schools. TheWilder Institute/Calgary Zoo,Telus Spark, The Bridgesurban renewal development and access to the city's large network ofpedestrian pathways (theBow River pathway) and parks are unique focal points for the community and surrounding region.
Bridgeland borders a natural environment composed of the confluence of theBow River andElbow River. Tom Campbell's Hill park lies on the eastern edge of Bridgeland and overlooks the downtown, Bow River and northeastern part of the city.[4] St. Patrick's Island and St. George's Island lie in the southern part of Bridgeland. St. George's Island is home to theWilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, Canada's second largest zoo.[5]
Bridgeland is the site of theTelus Spark, a $160-million facility that opened on October 29, 2011 and Canada's first purpose-built science centre in more than 25 years.
The community of Riverside was established byRussian-German immigrants during Calgary's first population boom in the 1880s, when Riverside was known as Germantown. At the beginning of the 20th century, immigrants were mostly ofItalian andUkrainian origin.[6][7]
The name "Bridgeland" appeared as a result of theDominion Bridge Company operating nearby.[8]
Riverside incorporated as a village on July 6, 1903, and was subsequentlyannexed by the City of Calgary in 1910. In 1910, the Riverside School opened and served the community for 50 years.[9] In 1908, the Bridgeland-Riverside Community Association was founded.[8] ARed Light District survived in the neighbourhood until theFirst World War. In 1910, the Calgary General Hospital was built in this area. It was closed in 1997 and was demolished in a controlled explosion on October 4, 1998.[10]
Parts of lower Bridgeland were popularly known as "Little Italy" in emulation of similarly named enclaves in other cities of immigrants of Italian stock. The concentration of Italian bakeries, restaurants and groceries has diminished over time but the strip along 1st Avenue NE is sometimes still referred to by this name.[11]
TheWilder Institute/Calgary Zoo was established on St. George's Island in 1929 with 36 mammals and 78 birds.[12] By 2006, it had expanded to over 1,000 animals with 290 different species with exhibits from Destination Africa, Canadian Wilds, Australia, Botanical gardens, Eurasia, Prehistoric Park and South America. This area was severely damaged in the2013 flood in southern Alberta.
Over 5,000 people participated in a public process that is underway in 2010 to develop a master plan for St. Patrick's Island.[13]
In modern times, the community is recognized as a "distinct bobo (bohemian/bourgeois) residential neighbourhood"[14] and having a high degree ofwalkability.[15] In 2013, Bridgeland/Riverside was ranked byFast Forward Weekly magazine as the third "mostlivable neighbourhood" in Calgary.[16]
In the City of Calgary's 2012 municipal census, Bridgeland/Riverside had a population of5,594 living in3,274 dwellings, a 6.5% increase from its 2011 population of5,254.[17] With a land area of 3.1 km2 (1.2 sq mi), it had a population density of1,805/km2 (4,670/sq mi) in 2012.[17][18]
The City of Calgary adopted anarea redevelopment plan for this community in 2006,[19] which regulates construction of buildings and recreational areas, with the intention of increasing population density in certain areas, as well as development of a public transit oriented community.
At the beginning of the 21st century,gentrification was occurring in Bridgeland. This resulted in new residents and business moving into the community. In addition, household incomes rose by +44.7% within Bridgeland between 2005 and 2015. This compares against a household income growth of +22.7% in the rest of Calgary over the same period.[2]
Historically Bridgeland was a very challenged area, but has been undergoing redevelopment throughout the 2000s.
| Rate | Crime Rate (/100 pop.) |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 5.1 |
| 2019 | 5.5 |
| 2020 | 6.0 |
| 2021 | 4.1 |
| 2022 | 5.9 |
| 2023 | 5.4 |
The community is represented in theCalgary City Council by Gian-Carlo Carra and Druh Farrell, wards 9 and 7 respectively. On a provincial level, Bridgeland is part of theCalgary-Mountain View constituency in Alberta's Legislative Assembly and is represented by LiberalMLA Dr.David Swann. On a federal level, Bridgeland falls in theelectoral district ofCalgary Centre-North and is represented in theHouse of Commons of Canada byMPLen Webber.
Bridgeland is the start and finish point for theScotiabank Calgary Marathon, Canada's longest running marathon.[21] In 2009, the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon was rated as Alberta's best road race and is a qualifier for theBoston Marathon.[22]
Public recreational facilities within Bridgeland include Harvie Passagewhitewater kayak park,soccer pitch,tennis court,community garden,baseball field, off-leashdog park,disc golf course,children's playground andtoboggan run.
In 2010, based on anIpsos-Reid Needs and Preferences study, the Bridgeland-Riverside Community Association initiated a conceptual design for anice rink.[23]
Bridgeland has a summerfarmer's market on Thursday afternoon and evenings.[24]
TheCalgary Tool Library was established in 2014. The first of its kind in Alberta, members pay a small annual fee and in return have access to some of the most essential household tools without having to buy, store or repair their own.
The community is served by theBridgeland/Memorial Station andZoo Station of thelight railC-Train transit system. As of 2007, there were 1,900 boardings per day at the Bridgeland/Memorial Station, and 1,700 boardings per day at the Zoo Station.
A major redevelopment dubbed "The Bridges" commenced in 2004 on land previously occupied by the General Hospital and is underway as of 2007. It is a 37-acre (150,000 m2)inner city development, consisting of multi-familyresidential and mixed use buildings.[25] The project includes 11.7 acres (47,000 m2) of parks and open space.
The Bridges is atransit-orientated development.[25] The three phase project is located next to theBridgeland-Memorial LRT station which is on the 202 Saddletowne/69 Street line of the city'sLRT, theC-Train. Early success of the project has seen it become an example development for cities interested in creating TODs.
Due to its proximity to downtown and access to great restaurants, shops and parkland, Bridgeland has been a focal point for multi-family development. Currently being built in The Bridges community are Bridgeland crossing I & II, Steps Bridgeland and Radius by Bucci is set to go to market in the fall of 2015.
A design competition was held in 2009, by the Calgary MLC[26] forSt. Patrick's Island Bridge, a new pedestrian bridge. The bridge will link Bridgeland and St. Patrick's Island to the East Village in the south and theBow River pathway system. It will provide improved linkages to many different nearby communities including Bridgeland,Inglewood,East Village andDowntown Calgary. The international design competition received 33 entries, with the winning design selected as RFR of France and Halsall of Calgary. The design is said to, "remind the public of a stone skipping across the river or an arch of clouds in the Calgary sky. The goal of the design was to have as little structure as possible in the river channel, to respect the context of the island and to provide a pedestrian and cyclists link." Construction is scheduled for 2010 at an estimated cost of $25 million.
TheReconciliation Bridge was opened in 1910 and was initially named Langevin Bridge for SirHector-Louis Langevin,[27] one of the Fathers of theCanadian Confederation. In 2017, the City council voted to change the bridge's name to Reconciliation Bridge.[28]
In 2009, the City of Calgary set up 5,600 programmable lights on the bridge for Christmas, at a cost of $370,000,[29] as a part ofDowntown East Village re-vitalization efforts. TheLED, built by Montreal-based Lumenpulse, is composed of 5600 LED grouped in 156 programmable light assemblies,[30] and is part of the RiverWalk project, an effort to improve the pathways along the Bow and Elbow rivers adjacent to theEast Village.
The community is served by the following schools:
Elementary
Junior High
High School
Bridgeland is also served by the following schools in adjoining neighbourhoods:
Members of theCalgary City Council | ||||||
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Places adjacent to Bridgeland, Calgary | |
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