Where history meets modern design: A new vision for RiverWalk West

If a picture paints a thousand words, then the Bow River must paint a million.

As Jared Tailfeathers looks at the flowing waters near the Louise Bridge at 10^th Street SW, he knows this area holds thousands of years of history and stories of the Blackfoot people.

“These places where there are bridges and crossings, there would be lots of meetings happening for trading, ceremonies and things like that,” explains Tailfeathers. “There are a whole bunch of important sites in and around here, even a couple of buffalo jumps down the river.”

Now the next chapter of the Bow’s story is set to begin with the new RiverWalk West redevelopment project, with Tailfeathers playing an important role as historian and Indigenous Placemaking consultant.

He’s part of a dedicated team of designers, landscape architects and planners behind the award-winning plan for the area: Exchange – Realizing RiverWalk West.

With goals to enhance vibrancy and accessibility, the design aims to improve the pathway system along the Bow River’s southwest bank by seamlessly connecting the East Village to the west end of downtown past 14^th Street SW. It will also create new areas for people to gather and experience the river in unique ways while harmonizing flood mitigation.

As part of the Greater Downtown Plan, this project helps achieve the strategic moves needed to better serve Calgarians while protecting the natural edge of the Bow River. Honouring and integrating the ecosystem and history of the area is at the heart of the concept.

The design is the winner of Calgary’s first public realm design competition. Typically, the process entails a Request For Proposal (RFP) but instead there was an international call for ideas. A group of five finalists were shortlisted and given a grant to come up with a unique approach to revitalize the area.

“The result was a really exciting and innovative plan, it opened possibilities for looking deeper into the site than the restrictions of an RFP,” explains Tamara Marajh, project manager with urban community systems. “The site is really complicated. This team was able to explore that site and figure out how to make it work and get the results from the greater downtown plan that we really wanted to see in such a restricted and confined space.”

In a unanimous decision by a jury of diverse and expert professionals, Exchange – Realizing RiverWalk West, was selected.

“The design is compelling, founded in the cultural and historical influence on the site. It tells a story of recognizing everyone's voice, both past and present,” the jury said in a statement. “We were impressed with the level of consultation and the inclusive nature of the Indigenous and colonial histories that were well represented to move us in the right direction.”

Joyce Tang was a member of the jury and works for The City as the leader of greater downtown in public space delivery. She says the design gives this popular area some much needed improvement to create more inviting public spaces for Calgarians.

“If you were to walk down this area ­as a pathway user or a cyclist or a family who's trying to picnic in the area, you may feel that you're invading a roadway environment. It's very auto centric, it doesn't feel very safe,” explains Tang.

“There's a lot of overgrown vegetation and just not an opportunity for people to want to stay. It really is a chance to provide more equitable spaces for everyone, whether you're living or visiting or working in the downtown,” she adds.

The project even gained national recognition with a 2024 National Urban Design award from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada for Urban Design Plans.

Greg Stewart is part of the project’s design team and a partner with local architecture and planning firm, Ground Cubed, and says the award is a huge honour.

“It was incredible,” says Stewart. “It goes back to being an unapologetically local team. First of all, being recognized locally for that design strength, and then when it went to a National Urban Design Award, it really did a wonderful thing. Just such a proud moment for Calgary's design community.”

From extended boardwalks to intimate trails, the new concept features unique ways to interact with the river.

“We're also looking for amenities that used to exist in and around our site. Calgary's first municipal pool was in where Contemporary Calgary sits now. So, we wanted to bring back a municipal pool a way that you could experience water in the river throughout the year, day and night. There’s also places for ceremony to happen, where you could have an outdoor concert, an outdoor event, and have the river as your backdrop,” he adds.

Michael Zabinski is also part of the design team and the principal and co-founder of HEREBY architecture. With more office towers being converted to residential homes, he agrees reclaiming park space will have a big impact.

“Right now, there are a number of triangle pieces of land – city owned – that are severed from the river. By taking that lane of traffic away at 4th Avenue, we increase the real estate of river walk to create a full park as opposed to a single line of pathway,” says Zabinski.

The RiverWalk West project team is now working to refine the conceptual design before construction can begin. An updated timeline is expected to be shared with Calgarians in late 2024.

As the project gains momentum, Jared Tailfeathers looks forward to more opportunities to engage with the community to honour the deep-rooted history of the Bow River.  

“After the project really gets going, there will be a lot more community engagement, which will involve elders and knowledge keepers and ceremonialists, just to make sure that we're doing it correctly,” says Tailfeathers. “Our histories are as important as the contemporary worldview.”