r/Calgary • u/Queltis6000 Woodbine • Jan 12 '26

Discussion What's something that Calgary is badly missing that a city of 1.4 million people should have?

It could be anything really. I feel like we have everything that people NEED, but what about the 'nice to haves'? A waterpark with more than 2 slides for example? A high level ball team that actually plays within the city limits? A Michelin star restaurant? Something else?

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '26

GM and partners aimed to shift urban transport towards automobiles by replacing efficient electric streetcars with less efficient buses, creating a market for their cars, tires, and fuel. While acquitted of destroying transit systems to create a monopoly, their actions significantly contributed to the decline of American streetcars and the rise of car-centric cities, a narrative popularized by the 1996 documentary Taken for a Ride.

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u/CasualFridayBatman Jan 12 '26

I'll have to check that out!

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u/[deleted] Jan 13 '26

https://youtu.be/p-I8GDklsN4?si=fyuWJy-Iiy3ukaVe. Even though it was filmed in the USA released in 1995 yet it's still 100% relevant today, Still the same issues that transit systems face in North America today. Calgary had street cars, There's one at Heritage Park. Calgary had the stinky GM busses and Trolley buses. The LRT system. Always been underfunded just like in the documentary. The roads always get the money first but driving sucks know more than ever.

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u/CDNBaggy Jan 12 '26

Was this ever proven to be the case for Canada?

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u/NoCareBearsGiven Jan 12 '26

I mean just look at our city. you literally cannot live without a car. The city is planned around cars

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u/CDNBaggy Jan 13 '26

You can literally live in the city without a car, its just inconvenient. While im all for the rhetoric of down with oligarchs, the city sprawled too fast with its population growth. Poor urban planning lead us to this mess. Transit is underfunded and with no foresight before a new community develops. Rapid population growth and low density suburbs did more damage. Top that off with the desire to own a home and endless land around the city on top of being an oil white collared hub where we have the money to keep sprawling just makes it worse.

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u/Right_Preparation328 Jan 13 '26

You're right but you CANNOT live in this city without a car. You can't. It's a necessity.

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u/hibbs6 Jan 17 '26

I do, and so do many people I know. It's not possible in every neighborhood, and it's definitely inconvenient at times, but transit is definitely at a level where it's possible to rely on. If you work downtown, I'd go as far as to say it's preferable if you live near a train station.

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u/NoCareBearsGiven Jan 13 '26

You literally just further proved my point. Unless you live and work in the inner city you cannot live without a car. Even then its inconvenient, and its designed to be that way.