New communities are opening a world of opportunity for homebuyers in Calgary's blossoming northeast.

Take for example the community of Redstone, a master-planned development by Qualico Communities gracing 360 acres (146 hectares) north of 128th Avenue N.E.

When it comes to crowning Calgary's most eclectic park, it would be tough to top the assortment of activities and opportunities offered at Prairie Winds Park.

Now and then, Calgarians going for a morning walk in their community are stunned to discover that a house on their street has disappeared overnight.

No, the house wasn't whisked away by a tornado like in The Wizard of Oz – it's all part of a a way to "recycle" homes that ends up benefiting landowners in two locations.

On March 4, Brookfield Residential officially launched the community of Livingston, a new community gathering attention for its innovative, attractive home designs, and a fresh, exciting take on community.

"We're so excited that it's finally here," said Jessie Seymour, senior manager of strategic marketing at Brookfield Residential.

A decade in the making, Livingston covers 500 hectares straddling Centre Street north of Stoney Trail. When fully developed, the community will be home to an expected 30,000 Calgarians. A major activity centre, acting as a central hub, will include an estimated one million square feet of institutional and retail space.

Jenna Dutton and her fiancé have called the city centre community of Ramsay home for the past two years. Prior to that, Dutton lived in next-door Inglewood.

"I'm drawn to the area because of the local shops, the heritage buildings, the diversity, the cool music scene and that everything is within walking distance," said Dutton.

In other words, Dutton is drawn to the urban lifestyle. It's a way of life characterized by walkability, community diversity and proximity of amenities, something she was exposed to while living in Montreal.

On the east side of the Elbow River bordering Mission sits a hidden gem – the community of Erlton. Here, pockets of vintage heritage homes along with architecturally pleasing townhomes and condo developments are tucked away along the east banks of the Elbow River, mere steps from the trendy streets of Mission.

"Erlton is one of Calgary's best kept secrets. I love living here. It's just such a small, connected community," said Viccy Grace, an area resident and president of the Erlton Community Association. She and her husband purchased and refurbished a century-old home on the hill in Erlton.

The ambitious master plan and vision for East Village, which was years in the making, is bearing fruit these days with an unprecedented level of construction taking place and more to come.

Two key blocks in the neighbourhood are the next big projects for Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, which is spearheading development in East Village.

Susan Veres, senior vice-president of strategy and business development for CMLC, says COPEZ has plans for the East Village Courtyard, which is before the City right now for permits, and it will include two rental towers of about 600 units, a mid-rise market product with about 100 units, and an office building.

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.

Almost four years after the Calgary flood of 2013, flood-damaged areas have been rebuilt and efforts are underway to protect the city with new flood mitigation measures.

In riverside communities, such as Sunnyside, which was mostly saved from the raging Bow River by a berm constructed in the 1930s, obvious signs of flooding are mostly gone, but memories still linger.

"There are some people – you can see it in them – when spring melt starts to come, you can see them get anxious, (wondering) what is going to happen?" said Charlie Lund, chair of the Infrastructure Group, with Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association's Emergency Preparedness and Response Committee.

It's no secret that affordable housing is hard to come by in Calgary.

Plenty of studies, including several by the municipal government, have pointed to this problem in the past. Yet none have been able to provide a comprehensive picture – until now.

Earlier this month, the City of Calgary released an unprecedented report called Housing in Calgary: An Inventory of Housing Supply, 2015/2016.