David Dixon Delivers Keynote at ULI Alberta Downtown Symposium
Updated: 9 hours ago
Dixon’s keynote helped launch his work to advance Calgary’s downtown recovery, including a three-day charrette focused on catalyzing Downtown West and shaping priorities for long-term revitalization.
David Dixon, FAIA, served as a keynote presenter at the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Alberta Province Downtown Symposium on October 27, 2021. Subsequently, he worked with the City of Calgary to help lead a three-day charrette focused on Catalyzing Calgary's Downtown West.
At the height of the pandemic, the ULI invited David to keynote the Institute’s Alberta Province Downtown Symposium, which drew city leaders and downtown stakeholders from across the province. Dixon’s message that, rather than unleashing a widely reported “doom loop,” the pandemic was setting the stage for two decades or more of unprecedented imperative and opportunity spurred the City of Calgary to invite him and Stantec to help organize a three-day charrette to chart a new future for the city’s moribund, and downtown-adjacent West End.
“Downtown West’s vacant storefronts, parking lots, and riverfront offer the building blocks for renewal—places where a multicultural community can celebrate its food and art and start businesses fronting newly welcoming streets and public spaces.” — David Dixon, FAIA
Charting a New Future for Downtown West
In October 2022, Dixon and his colleagues joined the Calgary Downtown Association, the University of Calgary. community leaders, officials, and developers to envision a new future for the West End and a path to get there
The team’s work culminated in the publication of Catalyzing Calgary’s Downtown West in November 2023. The report established a phased framework to support the City’s broader Greater Downtown Plan. Combining major capital projects with smaller improvements, the framework outlined practical steps to strengthen community life and encourage private investment. Dixon’s involvement connected the initial recovery discussion with specific priorities for long-term revitalization.
