The City of Calgary continues to hammer out details for its ambitious Green Line LRT route plan, but with construction slated to begin in 2019, residents in the city's deep south are weary of the wait. Many are wondering if the City should focus on improving other transit offerings in the area instead.

Talk of a CTrain arriving someday was a selling feature 22 years ago, when a future station site was built into the master-planned community of McKenzie Towne. More than two decades later, the promise of an LRT continues to feature heavily in the marketing of new communities farther south, including Auburn Bay, Mahogany and Seton, the farthest southern stop planned for the Green Line's 46-kilometre route.

Located at the confluence of Nose Hill Drive and Crowchild Trail in Calgary's northwest, the community of Ranchlands – developed in the 1970s – retains some of the unique, natural features of its namesake ranching lands.

In the centre of the community, Ranchlands Park sprawls across 12 hectares and provides examples of some of the last remnants of the typical northwest geological formations known as knobs and kettles. Retreating glacial deposits of ice carved these small rounded hilltops (knobs) and depressions (kettles). Much of Calgary's northwest featured these fields of undulating hills before development reshaped the landscape.

When it comes to location and convenient access to major thoroughfares, you can't beat Calgary's northwest neighbourhood of Dalhousie.

Bounded on four sides by major roads – John Laurie Boulevard, Shaganappi Trail, Crowchild Trail and Sarcee Trail - Dalhousie is at the heart of it all. Getting to and from downtown, or out to the mountains, is a breeze.

"Definitely the proximity to downtown attracted us," said Sean French, president of the Dalhousie Community Association, who moved to Dalhousie 10 years ago from nearby Varsity.

The answer to what the new northwest community of Carrington will have when complete is an easy one: pretty much everything.

The neighbourhood, launched as part of the massive Keystone Hills area plan, will include its own high-density housing; an employment and commercial centre built around a planned Green Line CTrain station; direct access to Stoney Trail and downtown; new schools, as well as proximity to existing ones; and acres of parks, wetlands and pathways. It also sits in a high-demand area that is suffering from a shortage of housing supply.

Nestled side by side, the northwest communities of Royal Oak and Rocky Ridge share an abundance of amenities, including grocery stores, community green spaces and walking trails. But two features that make these communities stand out are the jaw-dropping views of the Rocky Mountains and the brand-new Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge, a 284,000-square-foot health and wellness centre that opened its doors in January.

"The hunger and desire for this type of community space has been long anticipated," said Ken Lima-Coelho, vice-president of community engagement for YMCA Calgary.

A major two-part project aimed at improving connections within east Victoria Park should keep interruptions to a minimum when work starts later this year.

The next step in the Rivers District Master Plan – Calgary Municipal Land Corp.'s (CMLC) 20-year vision for the area – includes a redesign of the Victoria Park/Stampede LRT station and an extension to 17^th Avenue S.E. that will take it across Macleod Trail and into Stampede Park.

The community of Acadia sits in southeast Calgary, nestled between Carburn Park and the Bow River to the east and Macleod Trail to the west. Established in 1960, the community is home to nine schools from the public and separate boards – including the city's largest high school, Lord Beaverbrook – as well as a charter school and bilingual schools.

According to Calgary Economic Development, Calgary has the potential to become an industry leader in the burgeoning Canadian video game and "immersive media" sectors.

I guess it's fitting, then, that Calgary has actually appeared in a handful of video games over the years, whether by design or thanks to the efforts of a few creative players.

According to Calgary Economic Development, Calgary has the potential to become an industry leader in the burgeoning Canadian video game and "immersive media" sectors.

I guess it's fitting, then, that Calgary has actually appeared in a handful of video games over the years, whether by design or thanks to the efforts of a few creative players.

Calgary's most walk- and transit-friendly communities

While Calgary is still viewed by many as a car-centric city, there are many other ways for Calgarians to get around – whether you choose to walk, bike or take transit. Just ask the residents of the following communities, the proud recipients of some of the city's highest walk and transit scores from www.walkscore.com.