This article is part of the 2018 list of Calgary’s Best Neighbourhoods. For the 2019 list, go here.
Gauging the levels of community engagement across more than 180 neighbourhoods in a systematic way is one of the most difficult, and contentious, aspects of our Best Neighbourhoods research and reporting.
This year we gave our whole engagement score system an overhaul, adding in a variety of new information focused on the idea that a neighbourhood where neighbours run into each other more often, and where they have more opportunity to see each other, is more engaged. We considered the percentage of households with a dog because the more dog owners in a neighbourhood the more people are out walking their dogs around, meeting their neighbours. We also added access to pathways and the percentage of bike and walking commuters as well as the number of playgrounds and libraries, because having more places for neighbours to bump into one another increases the chances that they do. We also included some more typical and formal measures of engagement: community association membership levels, the activities of the community association and the percentage of owner-occupied dwellings.
Based on these factors, these are the neighbourhoods that came out as having the highest community engagement scores.
1.
Eau Claire
Community Engagement Score: 110.74
2.
Bowness
Community Engagement Score: 106.71
3.
West Springs
Community Engagement Score: 97.81
4.
Wildwood
Community Engagement Score: 97.67
5.
Rosedale
Community Engagement Score: 97.62
6.
Altadore
Community Engagement Score: 96.75
7.
Arbour Lake
Community Engagement Score: 95.95
8.
Elbow Park
Community Engagement Score: 94.86
9.
Beltline
Community Engagement Score: 93.73
10.
Sunnyside
Community Engagement Score: 92.4