For those who enjoy being surrounded by nature and other green spaces, the communities of Beddington Heights and Huntington Hills might be just the ticket.

Middle-ring neighbourhoods offer perfect balance of suburban charm and inner-city convenience

Between the inner city and the burgeoning suburbs lie Calgary's so-called "middle-ring neighbourhoods," a concept explored in a 2010 study by the University of Calgary's faculty of environmental design.

As the study describes, Calgary's 80 middle-ring neighbourhoods – which include communities like Acadia, Glamorgan and Huntington Hills – are those developed between the 1950s and 1970s and "poised to undergo redevelopment."

Canyon Meadows, established in 1963, is one such community. When Gurmit Bhachu, the current president of the Canyon Meadows Community Association, moved to Calgary in 2004, he and his wife looked for a home.

Popularity of condo living among seniors is on the rise

When it comes to choosing a home later in life, age often brings thoughtful consideration of what really matters. More and more in Calgary, that wisdom is leading seniors to choose condominiums as the place to live out their golden years.

"Five years ago, when we tracked inner-city demographics, you saw maybe 1-2 per cent of seniors purchasing condos," said Oliver Trutina, vice-president of Calgary-based builder Truman.

"Today, that number is around 20 per cent. Since this is often their third or fourth home purchase, they know what they want and are asking for it."

Calgary's urban parks offer nearby residents a slice of the great outdoors in the heart of the city

At the beginning of July last year, John and Ildi Arlette took their first-ever walk through Confederation Park.

By the end of that month, they had bought a home in Mount Pleasant sitting near the crescent-shaped green space that stretches across 162 hectares – including eight hectares of wetlands – in northwest Calgary.

"We were on a date night and someone had told me about Confederation Park," said John Arlette. "Ildi is from Ontario and I realized I hadn't shown her much of Calgary – I hadn't even been to the park myself."

After that visit, the Arlettes sold their home in Signal Hill, becoming both inner-city – and park-side living – devotees.

Through collaboration with Calgarians, the City has decided on eight sites to construct new skateparks as part of the Skateboard Amenities Strategy.

Chinook Park Kelvin Grove/Eagle Ridge, Huntington Hills and Southwood will see a skatepark built within a year.

"We have been working closely with the Calgary Association of Skateboard Enthusiasts, or CASE, for many years developing the Skateboard Amenities Strategy and earlier this year we held open houses to gather feedback from skateboard enthusiasts and the general public," said Greg Steinraths, manager of Sport and Partnership Development, Recreation.