Montgomery Community Reviews

""

Montgomery Community Reviews ONLINE FEEDBACK The public was invited to a Visioning Session on March 21, 2018 at the Montgomery Community Association from 5 – 8p.m. to share their thoughts on community values, and how they imagined Montgomery should look and feel in the future. More than 160 people attended the event, and 21 feedback booklets were completed. People were also invited to provide input online at calgary.ca/engage from March 22 to April 4, 2018. In that time, 378 people visited the engage project page and of those, 111 provided feedback. The engagement opportunity was advertised in a variety of ways: • Road signs in and around the study area • City of Calgary social media (Facebook and Twitter) • Email to stakeholders • Letters to property owners immediately adjacent to Bowness Road N.W. within the study area • Postcard delivered to homes and businesses in Montgomery The input from this engagement will help The City develop design concepts for further input in the next stage of engagement. What we heard Community history • 57% of respondents said history was very or somewhat important to Montgomery’s current and future identity Community values • Respondents said the community values that best represent Montgomery were accessible, family friendly, natural and active Street character • The top themes relating to the street character images were pedestrian friendly / walkable, trees / greenery and sense of community Social spaces • Respondents said social spaces should be family-friendly and include food and beverage businesses such as cafes, grocery stores and farmer’s markets Plants • People suggested that high trees or greenery is better than low to reduce rodents, garbage and debris, and plants should provide separation / buffer from the road Mobility – walking • A pleasant environment that encourages walking and greenery / aesthetics were the attractive qualities in the images provided Mobility – cycling • Safe, protected cycling facilities were the most frequent comments received about the cycling images Mobility – transit • Bus shelters were very important to respondents Mobility – driving • The most frequent comments about the driving images were about reducing speed, maintaining parking and greenery and aesthetics Features • The features respondents were most drawn to were signage / banners / gateways / placemaking and art or murals Encouraging safer public spaces • Comments about safer spaces could be divided into comments relating to transportation safety personal security as it relates to crime • For transportation safety, the biggest concerns were pedestrian crossings and high speeds • For personal security, undesirable behaviours (drinking in public, drugs, etc.) were the most frequent concerns • Ideas for improving safety were more lighting, slower speeds and more police presence / enforcement The public input received from the visioning session and online survey is summarized below. Unless otherwise specified, both online and in-person feedback has been combined in the results. Community history Do you have any historic stories you would like to share? People who indicated history was important mentioned: • Streetcars and trolleys • An interest in understanding the history of Montalban Park (namesake) • Walking tours, signs and banners are ideas for sharing or commemorating local history • Local history should be preserved and respected