Engineered gardening could help expand growing potential

You likely don't think about light quality or intensity when you're crunching a carrot or raising a radish, so why should you care about Jack Zhang's newly engineered lights?

Because Zhang's new LED lights could help you grow your own super-efficient vertical farm in a kitchen nook, empty bedroom or spare closet.

Zhang, an electric engineer by trade, spoke to me about his newly imagined LED lights when the Lumenari Biosciences co-founder and CEO attended the Canwest Horticulture show in September. At that time, Zhang said his company was, "all about designing energy-efficient lighting systems for the horticulture industry."

Three companies to submit RFPs for Moustache Lands

The "moustache" that lies at the entrance to Canmore from Calgary will soon boast a residential development designed to alleviate the mountain resort town's lack of affordable, available housing.

The four-acre (1.6 hectare) site — known as the Moustache Lands because the property is composed of loops created by the interchanges off the TransCanada Highway — is owned by the municipality, which has now shortlisted three potential developers to respond to a Request for Proposal (RFP).

Uber's impact already being felt in community development, say local officials

While ride-sharing giant Uber has yet to re-enter the Calgary market – a move that could come before the end of the month, and dependent on city council approval of amendments to the ride-share bylaw – the company's influence is already being felt locally, and not just within the transportation industry.

The rise of ride-sharing businesses are causing planners, developers, builders and city officials to rethink how cities are designed. From developers designing neighbourhoods that emphasize walkability to entrepreneurs imagining alternative uses for parking garages, the possibilities are plentiful, said Chris Blaschuk, manager of the transportation strategy division in the City of Calgary's transportation planning department.

Former CREB® president Nick Medwid said all eyes were on Calgary in 1991

Nick Medwid recalls Calgary's housing market in 1991 as a bit of a blur.

In the midst of a national downturn that year, all eyes turned to the city as several major companies uprooted their Canadian headquarters from out east and relocated to the heart of the new west.

With discussions continuing to swirl around Calgary being an attractive location for foreign homebuyers, CREB®Now contributor Alex Frazer-Harrison sat down with three local experts to get their opinions on what the future holds for the city's housing market.

Here's what they had to say:

With discussions continuing to swirl around Calgary being an attractive location for foreign homebuyers, CREB®Now contributor Alex Frazer-Harrison sat down with three local experts to get their opinions on what the future holds for the city's housing market.

Here's what they had to say:

City looking at ways to keep Calgarians engaged

When Dave McCarrel moved to the northwest community of Valley Ridge, he became involved in the local community association to meet people.

That was 20 years ago, and McCarrel has been active ever since.

He helped lead efforts in 2008 to build an outdoor ice rink now recognized as one of the best in the city, and also a recent project to construct an outdoor fitness park equipped with a variety of exercise stations that opened in September.

Water conservation top of mind for developers and municipalities as usage could exceed supply in coming decades

There's more than meets the eye to a lake at the heart of Harmony, the much-talked-about community by Bordeaux Properties and Qualico Communities west of the city.

When the massive water feature project is completed this spring, it will not only be Alberta's deepest man-made lake. It will also be a key part of the development's water conservation plan, an initiative that is among the most progressive in the Calgary region, said Bordeaux president and CEO Birol Fisekci.

City looking at ways to keep Calgarians engaged

When Dave McCarrel moved to the northwest community of Valley Ridge, he became involved in the local community association to meet people.

That was 20 years ago, and McCarrel has been active ever since.

He helped lead efforts in 2008 to build an outdoor ice rink now recognized as one of the best in the city, and also a recent project to construct an outdoor fitness park equipped with a variety of exercise stations that opened in September.

Former CREB® president Bob Jablonski recalls 2012 as the year it started to turn around

Bob Jablonski doesn't have to look back too far to remember the last time Calgary's economy was booming.

During his year as CREB® president in 2012, the city was running at a full sprint due to good fortunes in the oil patch. Completion of the new West LRT, The Bow and Peace Bridge were just three of the many major initiatives that came to fruition in Calgary that year, noted Jablonski, who remembered, "the city was getting big and busy."

For many, particularly those in the real estate sector, the good news was overdue. Calgary's housing market had slumped since the 2008 financial crisis, not recovering at the same pace as other Canadian cities.