Eleventh International Conference on The Constructed Environment

Abstract

Ring roads are a common way to bypass urban traffic and allow for an ease of access moving goods and people around the city. Ring Roads create more connections and reduce interior city traffic pressures while also encouraging further auto centric development on the edge of the city. After decades of planning and construction Calgary, Alberta will join the group of cities that have completed ring roads. Over the years the exterior road has morphed into an interior roadway with suburban growth jumping across the regional highway. The road and the communities are in a symbiotic relationship as they need each other for their existence to prosper. Three quarters of the highway is already completed, but the final SW leg is currently under construction and will partly open in fall 2020. Communities along the highway have similar perceptions of the regional needs and the benefits of the highway. The same communities do however share a common dislike about the highway and the method of consultation taken to complete the project. This research has a pointed focus on communities’ perceptions and key stakeholders that made this highway project possible. The current community perceptions are key to understanding if the perceptions of the road morphs depending on where you are in the City of Calgary. The research enables us to create a detailed picture based on the analysis of the interviews with community members, special interest groups and city councillors.