Fall 2025 Updates
ON THE ART OF NOTICING
Credit: John Campbell
“The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don't go back to sleep.” - Rumi
Since our last newsletter we've seen rain, sunshine, and now the first touches of fall - the familiar sound of dry leaves skating on concrete, the nip of cold on our noses.
The changing seasons always make me feel like I'm on the precipice of a new adventure—and there are a few ahead for us collectively, to be sure.
A municipal election is on the horizon, and with it, another excuse to imagine what we want for our city. In this issue, we take a moment to listen - to children, young adults, poets, philosophers, and the southern Alberta species that share this place with us. They remind us good city-building is as much about attention as ambition: noticing what works (and for whom), what doesn’t (and for whom), and what we might try next as a result.
These are dispatches from the frontier: glimpses of a city we’re building together, one season at a time.
WRANGLING THE VOTE
Municipal elections are coming up!
Calgary's very first Mayoral Jeopardy was held on September 22 by the Centre for Newcomers and Good Neighbour with contributions from Livewire Calgary, The Alex Community Health Centre, The Nonprofit Chamber, Sustainable Calgary, The Women's Centre of Calgary, The Confluence Historic Site, and Pixeltree Inc. It was a lovely way to get to know candidates, bone up on local issues and make politics fun and accessible!
For more on preparing for the election on October 20:
• Meet the candidates (via The Sprawl)
• Make a voting plan
• Attend debates and forums (via The Sprawl).
• Reflect on what matters to you
Need election issue conversation starters? We’ve put together a great resource about planning healthy communities, including questions for candidates.
Photo by Carmen Lau, courtesy of Design Week
FINDING DELIGHT IN THE UNSEEN
d.talks and an incredible network of partners brought Calgary’s inaugural Design Week to life this summer, filling the city with talks, augmented reality installations, exhibitions, workshops, and tactical urbanism hackathons.
Celia Lee was hosted by Perkins & Will, where presenters were invited to reflect on past projects through the theme Delight in the Unseen. Drawing on work with kids in Martindale and the Beltline - and inspired by years spent alongside Calgary's local booksellers - she traced parallels between children's observations and insights from history's poets and philosophers. Check it out in this blog.
The evening also featured Chad Connery (University of Calgary), Joseph Crawford (Perkins&Will), and Jacky Feng, Elline Canaynay, Gerald B., Gen Haveria, and Kyra Richter (Society for Architectural Design Equity), who shared experiences designing temporary cold-weather structures that encourage warm gatherings; trauma-informed design paired with sustainability and community development; and advancing diversity within the design professions.
students take the mic
There's a new student-led podcast in town!
Dreamed up by Mauricio Latapi and Jess Schmidt and platformed by Sustainable Calgary, the podcast empowers Calgary’s university students to share perspectives on environmental sustainability that they and colleagues are exploring. This will be a collaboration among post-secondary institutions, starting with Mount Royal University students.
From the student team: "Launching this project means we get to spotlight the innovative climate action happening across Calgary campuses and beyond. Together, we’re eager to use relatable storytelling and interviews to connect local voices with national sustainability goals and inspire meaningful change in our community."
Episode 1 explores Sustainable Swaps—a reminder that our everyday choices can help shape our shared culture. We loved the friendly, conversational tone that makes change feel approachable—something we can explore together, one conversation at a time.
From left to right below, Mount Royal students Julianna Adair, Abiola Famakinwa, and Bella Coco.
SCENES FROM the wilds
The University of Calgary / Sustainable Calgary team spent the warmer months communing with four-legged, finned, winged, and photosynthesizing friends. At the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo and Bow Habitat Station, we met thousands of Calgarians and reflected on what other species can teach us about problem-solving—if we only pay attention. We are sharing some of the joy with these pictures, courtesy of Jon Yee (3,4,5) and collaborators.
STREETLIGHTS WITH A SLEEP SCHEDULE
It seems everyone involved in Connaught Open Street is excited to try new things! Our design and construction partners are now exploring circadian rhythm lighting—a system that shifts colour and brightness to follow natural human sleep–wake cycles. This approach reduces energy use and light pollution, supports healthier sleep patterns, and helps bring back darker skies.
Circadian lighting also benefits the natural world: birds and insects are less disoriented by softer, warmer light, nocturnal animals can move more freely, and even urban trees and plants thrive when artificial light doesn’t disrupt their growth cycles.
We are pursuing options to fund this innovation at Connaught Open Street!
TRAIL TALK WITH MADELINE KLEINFELD
In Calgary, most children rely on cars to get to school, echoing a nationwide trend. However, school street closures offer an innovative solution.
Madeline Kleinfeld walks us through her research on the benefits of school street closures in this video. This summer, we’re raising funds to build the next generation of School Streets in Calgary—because the new frontier isn’t out on the range. It’s right here in our neighbourhoods.
AROUND THE CITY
Calgary Municipal Election Advanced Voting, October 6-11
Mayoral Candidates Forum on Housing and Neighbourhood Growth, October 7
Calgary Mayoral Debate, October 8
Mayoralty Candidates Forum, October 11
Weaselhead Wilderness Walk, October 16
Lorne Fitch Book Launch: Conservation Confidential, October 16
Calgary Municipal Election, October 20
Hallowheelin', October 25
Keep an eye on:
