For many Calgarians, small town living in the big city seems to be the Holy Grail of homeownership. Combining the best of both worlds, the appeal of pairing the charm of a rural community with all the vibrancy and amenities of an urban setting is one that's tough to beat.

By following that exact recipe, with a sizable dash of quality craftsmanship, the folks at Cardel seem to have cooked up yet another winning development in Elgin Village.

The City of Calgary Development & Building Approvals in partnership with the Calgary Fire Department are conducting a suite safety pilot on 50 of the city's existing suites.

The objectives of the pilot include seeing if the 50 suites have relevant permits, have the correct land use designation and are up to Alberta Fire and Building Code standards. The City will then assist property owners through City processes to bring their suites up to compliance if possible.

The Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) has announced the completion of the third phase of RiverWalk.

The pathway now stretches two kilometres along the Bow River from Centre Street Bridge through East Village and around Fort Calgary to Ninth Avenue S.E.

While most of the province's real estate markets are expected to post declines in the coming months, increases in Alberta MLS® activity is expected to lead the country.

According to The Canadian Real Estate Association's (CREA) revised resale housing forecast, sales in Alberta are expected to hit 61,150 by the end of 2012, marking a 13.8 per cent increase over the 53,756 sales in 2011.

Calgary and Alberta's commercial markets have continued to make post recession headlines.

"The industry in Calgary has rebounded rapidly since the recession, bolstered by strong growth in employment, retail sales and investment in resource based supporting industries," said a BMO Economics commercial real estate outlook.

Over a six-month period around 16,500 Calgarians voiced their opinions online and in person regarding the city's new Central Library and the future of the library system in general.

"Calgarians responded with enthusiasm, passion and inspiration," said Janet Hutchinson, Calgary Public Library Board Chair. "They clearly see their libraries as essential to helping create complete communities and feel strongly that they are a symbol of inclusiveness, hope and growth."

Having long provided an affordable entry into the housing market, Calgarians are again turning to the condo sector as a way to make their homebuying dreams a reality.

According to CREB®, sales in the apartment and townhouse sector recorded annual increases of 12 and 16 per cent, respectively, in 2012, despite a decline in listings.

A likely factor in the rising demand for Calgary condos is the lack of availability in the city rental market. According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's (CMHC) Fall Rental Market report for the city, the apartment vacancy rate in the Calgary CMA declined to 1.3 per cent in October 2012.

Calgary was amongst the top contributors to a slight increase in Canada's New Housing Price Index (NHPI) in December, with prices in the city advancing 0.5 per cent month-to-month.

According to Statistics Canada, the combined metropolitan region of Toronto and Oshawa, as well as the region of Calgary, were the top contributors to a 0.2 per cent increase in the NHPI, with increased material and labour costs contributing to higher prices in Calgary.

Through an unassuming door and up a set of stairs in Calgary's Manchester Industrial area, one can find barnboard, blue and white bowling chairs, an Elvis movie poster and more — pieces saved from the landfill to find a new lease on life with the Reclaimed Trading Company (RTC).

When contractor Kelly Kask started storing overflow construction pieces in his home garage five years ago, it was only a matter of time before that one garage turned into two, which turned into 10, which turned into the addition of three warehouses which turned into the reclamation company with both a Calgary location and a newly opened location in Vancouver.