Battistella Developments raises the bar for architectural design in the Calgary condo market

Battistella Developments' condo highrises are marked by explosive colour and sharp artistry, boldly standing in several trendy neighbourhoods across Calgary's urban core.

Their names – and striking architecture – have become iconic: Orange, Chocolate, Chartreuce, Brunette, Ink, Pixel and Colours.

The goal is to bring something unique to the market, "every single time," said Chris Pollen, Battistella's director of sales and marketing.

Parks are especially important in densely developed downtown

"Quality, not quantity" is how City of Calgary parks manager Keath Parker characterizes green spaces in Calgary's downtown core, an area that's not only home to tall office towers, but residential neighbourhoods as well, including the Beltline (Connaught and Victoria Park), East Village and Eau Claire.

Parker explains it wasn't until the mid-1960s that the province's Municipal Government Act (MGA) gave municipalities the authority to take up to 10 per cent of a development for open public space. Residential neighbourhoods developed prior to that tend not to have as much green space as those created after the MGA.

However, Calgary's downtown is still far from a cold, concrete jungle. In fact, there are 24 parks in the downtown area covering roughly 65 hectares of open green space, according to the City.

With a commanding view of the city, Joshua Pinter and Michelle Maguire are enjoying the high life

Thirty-somethings Joshua Pinter and Michelle Maguire made the leap into home ownership in November of 2016.

The couple purchased a two-bedroom home on the 26th floor of the second tower at the Guardian project in Victoria Park. The recently married and energetic duo have busy careers: Joshua is a product manager for a software company and Michelle works in business development. The couple says they both have the downtown mentality so they kept their home search to a small radius around the core. They both loved the view from the Guardian with its floor-to-ceiling glazing and vistas of both the mountains and the downtown's high rises.

Calgary Municipal Land Corp. and Calgary Stampede team up on Stampede Park

Already responsible for reshaping Calgary's blighted East Village into one of the city's most transformative neighbourhoods, Calgary Municipal Land Corp. (CMLC) is now teaming up with the Calgary Stampede to help energize plans for a "grander" Stampede Park.

Neighbours since CMLC began redeveloping the once-blighted east end, a newly signed memorandum of understanding will see the two companies collaborate on the advancement of Stampede Park's master plan, including the redevelopment the languishing Victoria Park neighbourhood.

"It is a natural partnership," said CMLC vice-president Susan Veres. "CMLC has a specialty in development and they have a specialty in operating a world-class venue and event, so why not help them (Stampede) with the realization of their master plan since [our] master plan is in full swing?"

Once rundown community emerging as residential magnet

* Old neighbourhoods, new Calgary: A look at some of Calgary's earliest communities and how they're evolving with the times

Once home to the city's early elite, the historic community of Victoria Park is back on the map for Calgary homebuyers.

The Beltline neighbourhood has seen resurgence in its housing market this year, with several newly announced high-profile condo developments complementing a dramatic rise in resale activity over the last 10 months.