| Downtown East Village | |
|---|---|
| — Neighbourhood — | |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| City | Calgary |
| Quadrant | SE |
| Ward | 7 |
| Established | 1900 |
| Government[1] | |
| • Administrative body | Calgary City Council |
| • Alderman | Druh Farrell |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.2 km2 (0.1 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,043 m (3,422 ft) |
| Population (2009)[2] | |
| • Total | 2,448 |
| • Median Income (2005) | $17,253 |
| Time zone | Mountain Time (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | Mountain Daylight Time (UTC-6) |
| Area code | 403 |
| Website | East Village Experience Downtown East Village Info Site |
The Downtown East Village is a residential neighbourhood within the eastern portions of downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is contained within the city's Rivers District. Though officially a distinct neighbourhood, Calgary's Chinatown is often associated with the northern portions of the Downtown East Village.
Plans to reshape this neighbourhood were approved by the city council in March, 2005 (East Village Area Redevelopment Plan [3]). In Spring 2007, Calgary City Council approved the formation of a wholly owned corporation known as the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation with the mandate to revitalize and redevelop the Rivers District, which includes the East Village. Construction began within the Rivers District by the new corporation in 2007 with the undertaking of a rare downtown Calgary stormwater treatment pond on the NW corner of Fort Calgary, and planning for a new Riverwalk along the south bank of the Bow River (integrated with the Bow River pathway) and west bank of the Elbow River is also under way.
East Village is home to the Cantos National Music Centre. In 2009, an architectural competition was held, consisting of international award winning architecture firms including SPF, Allied Works Architecture/BKDI, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Jean Nouvel Workshop, and Saucier + Perrotte. On September 23, 2009, Allied Works was announced as the successful architectural firm to design the National Music Centre at the King Eddy site, in the East Village.[4] In 2010, private fundraising was underway, and federal, provincial and municipal governments had granted a combined $75 million towards the initiative. [5]
A design competition was also held in 2009, by the Calgary MLC for a new pedestrian bridge. The bridge will link St. Patrick’s Island with East Village to the south and the Bow River pathway system to the north. It will provide improved linkages to many different nearby communities including East Village, Inglewood and Bridgeland, and when combined with the improved pedestrian and cyclist connectivity of the 4th Street Underpass, will play an important role in improving sustainable transportation and recreational linkages throughout the east end of downtown and the Beltline. The design competition received 35 entries, and construction is scheduled for 2010.
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In 2009 the neighbourhood had a population of 2,448.[6] Residents in this community had a median household income of $17,253 in 2005. As a reference, in 2005 the median household income for the whole city of Calgary was $67,238.[1]
In 2005 there were 53.1% low income residents living in the neighbourhood.[1] As of 2006, 31.9% of the residents were immigrants. A proportion of 94.7% of the buildings were condominiums or apartments, and 83.8% of the housing was used for renting, this being the highest renting/owning rate in the city.[2]
In the spring and summer of 2008, archeologists made several rare discoveries in the East Village: two historic dumps from the early 20th century, as well as a native stone circle and fire hearths dating back over 3,300 years. Calgary archeologist Brian Vivian says it's the first pre-contact site archeologists have discovered in inner-city Calgary.[7]
| Crescent Heights | Chinatown | Bridgeland Memorial Drive |
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| Downtown | Zoo Fort Calgary |
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| Downtown East Village | ||||
| Calgary Tower | Beltline | Inglewood |