Reflecting on an Exploration of My Daily Walk

The neighbourhoods of Glenbrook, Glamorgan and Killarney are the locations that comprise my daily walk, and these days the daily views on foot are what keep me feeling connected to my community.

My Perspectives On the Area

What I love about this route is that there are big, beautiful trees that seem to protect the people that live beneath them. There is something magical about watching the seasons change on these trees every year, and I am in frequent awe of their beauty.

I also love the feeling of safety that I get from walking and living in this area. Visible age diversity ensures that this community is inclusive to many different needs and provides a safe living place for many - though it seems to be primarily young families. Students who attend the university may choose to live in this area when they decide not to live in residence and based on speaking to many of my friends from Mount Royal University there exists a basement suite culture in these neighbourhoods.

I decided to explore the neighbourhood with the lens of a young student - but I couldn't resist mentioning a few parks that the kids I have babysat (6 and 8 years old) had vocalized were their favourite and least favourite. As a kid there was nothing better than going to your favourite playground, I can imagine a Jane's Walk of the best playgrounds in Calgary would be a big crowd-pleaser for 8-year-olds!

Inclusivity and Exclusivity

Although I frequent this walk, I noticed new things as I was tuning in to the details during this experience. For example, I took note of a small free library on somebody's front lawn! This one was full of puzzles and books - perfect for spending time at home. I also took note of the inclusivity of this area - and I observed the cultural diversity through the Filipino Market and Japanese restaurants. In this lens, I also observed some cases of exclusivity: I observed that many of the people I encountered walking and shopping were caucasian, and the stores that I shopped at were not terribly affordable to low-income individuals or families (eg. Luke's drug mart and Safeway). The bike lane on 26th Avenue was partially covered with ice and snow which prevents bikers from commuting on their bikes. Additionally, the ice on the roads in this neighbourhood presents major challenges to those who are physically disabled, as I found myself jumping over large chunks of ice and snow to cross the road in residential streets such as 43rd Street.

Activity of the Area

It's difficult to judge the activity level of folks in this area at the moment, but I think that a few metrics for the activity levels based on our walk could be the amount and type of transportation vehicles that we see, and the number of people that are seen out walking or engaging in other physical activities. The observation of the former presented some uncomfortable realities: everybody seems to drive in separate vehicles - potentially isolating themselves from their community. There is a car parked in front of almost every house. This is to be expected in this city, but it is interesting that I did not observe more of the public transit and biking culture. There were plenty of people out for walks with their dogs or families throughout the entire walk, and I have observed this for a few years which indicates it is not solely a symptom of lockdown measures.

Conclusion

In this Jane's Walk, I sought to showcase the gems of this Southwest region of Calgary and ended up learning a few things myself! The walk uncovered some realities about the area: revamping the area with infills, accessibility problems, and possibly an exclusivity in demographic that feels comfortable or accessible living in these neighbourhoods. I also discovered an appreciation for the greenery, social spaces, safety and a mountain view of this walk. It is certainly a fascinating experience to look at the space you dwell with a more critical eye!

SH