Urban planning experts offer tips on how to shop for your next neighbourhood

Is it a neighbourhood with a lake so you don't need a vacation cottage?

Or an upgraded, older neighbourhood with lots of housing choices?

Perhaps a community with a main street so "you don't have to jump in your car to get a quart of milk?"

When urban commentators weigh in on what homebuyers, first-time or otherwise, should be looking for when they chose a place to live the emphasis is on community amenities – or as Greg Morrow puts it, looking "outside the four walls" of the home, to the DNA of the neighbourhood.

ARRIVE at Bowness caters to attainable housing needs

Attainable Homes Calgary Corp. (AHCC), in partnership with Partners Development Group, recently lifted the veil on ARRIVE at Bowness, a new BuiltGreen townhouse development in city's northwest.

AHCC acquired the land from the City of Calgary when the organization was created in 2009. It has been planning the development with input from local residents for several years.

AHCC president and CEO John Harrop said the project's design was inspired by its surroundings.

Communities of Bowness, Montgomery retain small town charm, big city amenities

Nestled along the Bow River in the city's northwest, the communities of Bowness and Montgomery each enjoy storied histories dating back to the turn of the 20th century.

Even today, their modern-day transformations from towns to neighbourhoods are far from complete, with ongoing development redefining expectations of life in Calgary.
Before the First World War, Bowness was a "suburb perfect" vision of Englishman John Hextall, the visionary behind Bowness Park.

Green spaces in Calgary a hop, skip and a jump from all residential communities

With an average of 2,396 hours of sun each year, Calgary holds the title of Canada's sunniest city. Not surprisingly, residents, in turn, tend to take full advantage, especially when it comes to the city's parks and greenspaces.

Calgary boasts almost 8,000 hectares of parkland – as well as Fish Creek Provincial Park and nearby Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park. Connecting the city and its greenspaces are nearly 800 kilometres of pathways.

Originally a "suburb perfect" vision of Englishman John Hextall, Bowness dates back to the early 1900s.

A popular destination for Calgarians looking for a weekend getaway was Bowness Park, constructed in 1911 and still one of the most sought after parks in the city today.

Bowness was annexed by the City of Calgary in 1964 and continues to be a destination for homebuyers, recreation enthusiasts, foodies and more.

Community continues to hold its own 50 years after annexation

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

Having never lost its small town roots, the community of Bowness continues to be a destination for Calgary homeowners.

Going back in time to before the First World War, Bowness was a "suburb perfect" vision of Englishmen John Hextall. Hextall was the visionary behind Bowness Park, originally a weekend retreat for nearby Calgarians, and today a mainstay for those craving nature, relaxation and activity, especially in the winter for skating on the lagoon.

A handful of early communities in the area helped Calgary grow to the city it is today

More than 130 years ago, Calgary consisted of a fort surrounded by prairie grasses, First Nations tribes and settlers making a fresh start in the new west.

Today, the city is home to more than one million people and represents the industry engine of Canada's thriving economy.

Still, many of the communities founded yesterday remain today. Here's a snapshot of just a few:

Sanitary infrastructure capacity impacting NW development

Rapid population growth in the city's northwest is creating new challenges for planners on how to
best manage the quadrant`s already strained sewage infrastructure system.

The West Memorial Sanitary Trunk – which extends from the communities of Bowness to Rocky Ridge and impacts 24 communities overall – is, and has been for at least two years now, operating at capacity in certain areas. 

Bowness resident pushing for former Gas Plus site to become public greenspace

While the province has stepped in to remediate a former gas station site in Bowness, one resident is looking to take the site's future one step further – as a public greenspace.

Morgan Maher, a resident of Bowness for several years, first became aware of the Gas Plus site – located on Bowness Road and 63rd Street N.W. – when 9,000 litres of gasoline spread into surrounding soil from an underground tank. The spill was so bad, three homes near the site were declared uninhabitable by Alberta Health Services due to gasoline vapours.