Stephen Avenue is one of Calgary’s most iconic destinations — it’s where Calgarians gather to enjoy a sunny day on the patio, celebrate achievements over a good meal, shop and participate in community events. It’s been this way for over a century. And The City of Calgary is making sure it stays that way.
Part of Calgary’s heritage
Much of Calgary’s history can be seen through the evolution of Stephen Avenue. That’s why it was recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada in 2002.
The main street gained popularity when the Canadian Pacific Railway opened its train station in the late 1800s on 9th Avenue, where the Calgary Tower stands today. Its growth really took off after World War II, along with the city’s booming oil and gas industry. It lost a bit of momentum when suburban shopping malls began to appear. To counter that, Stephen Avenue became a pedestrian mall in the ’60s and has remained one ever since, encouraging Calgarians and visitors alike to stroll down the street and browse its restaurants and shops, right in the heart of downtown.
“The city’s core measure of whether downtown is doing well or not can be measured by what happens along Stephen Avenue,” says Thom Mahler, director of the Downtown Strategy.
Supporting today’s vibrant and welcoming downtown
Stephen Avenue has long had a strong presence during working lunch hours, offering many options for hungry downtown workers. However, the pandemic brought many changes, including a much-reduced, in-office workforce.
The level of social disorder has changed as well, like in many big cities. Along with aging infrastructure, it poses challenges for small, local businesses. To address these issues, The City is working to make Stephen Avenue a vibrant street 24/7, 365 days a year.
“Stephen Avenue has always been the place where the local businesses are. This is where the local flavour is. The ability of a small business or a local business to withstand some of these challenges is a lot more challenging than it is for a major corporate chain,” says Mahler. “Our goal is to save the businesses that we have by growing them and diversifying them over time.”
When small businesses thrive, the city thrives. And as more people choose to visit downtown and support these businesses, Calgary’s economy and identity become stronger.
Investing in the visitor experience
To ease some of the problems small businesses face and make it easier to experience downtown Calgary, The City is investing in accessibility, parking and cleanliness.
While Stephen Avenue is readily accessible by transit, a new free parking initiative is making it easier to access via car. Harmony Parkade now offers complimentary parking on evenings and weekends.
The City partners with the Calgary Downtown Association to improve safety, with features such as enhanced lighting, anti-pry mechanisms, gate installations and more frequent cleaning on Stephen Avenue. There is also increased police presence thanks to the reopening of the Stephen Avenue Safety Hub.
“We don’t want people to have any friction that would give them second thoughts about going to Stephen Avenue because it doesn’t feel safe, doesn’t feel clean or it’s expensive or difficult to get to because of parking. We’re trying to address all of those issues,” says Mahler.
By reinvigorating the downtown corridor, The City continues to bring Calgarians together through food, retail, special events and business. Stephen Avenue remains the place where we gather, celebrate and experience incredible moments in the city.
When Stephen Avenue thrives, downtown thrives. And when downtown thrives, all of Calgary benefits.
Learn more at exploredowntownyyc.com
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