Development Derailed
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Development Derailed
Author: Max Foran
language: en
Publisher: Athabasca University Press
Release Date: 2013-11-01
In June of 1962, the Canadian Pacific Railway announced a proposal to redevelop part of its reserved land in the heart of downtown Calgary. In an effort to bolster its waning revenues and to redefine its urban presence, the CPR proposed a multimillion dollar development project that included retail, office, and convention facilities, along with a major transportation centre. With visions of enhanced tax revenues, increased land values, and new investment opportunities, Calgary’s political and business leaders greeted the proposal with excitement. Over the following year, the scope of the project expanded, growing to a scale never before seen in Canada. The plan took official form through an agreement between the City of Calgary and the railway company to develop a much larger area of land and to reroute or remove the railway tracks from the downtown area—a grand design for reshaping Calgary’s urban core. In 1964, amid bickering and a failed negotiating process, the project came to an abrupt end. What caused this promising partnership between the nation’s leading corporation and the burgeoning city of Calgary to collapse? What, in economic terms, was perceived to be a win-win situation for both parties fell prey to a conflict between corporate rigidity and an unorganized, ill-informed, and over-enthusiastic civic administration and city council. Drawing on the private records of Rod Sykes, the CPR’s onsite negotiator and later Calgary’s mayor, Foran unravels the fascinating story of how politics ultimately undermined promise.
Development Derailed
In June of 1962, the Canadian Pacific Railway announced a proposalto redevelop part of its reserved land in the heart of downtownCalgary. In an effort to bolster its waning revenues and to redefineits urban presence, the CPR proposed a multimillion dollar developmentproject that included retail, office, and convention facilities, alongwith a major transportation centre. With visions of enhanced taxrevenues, increased land values, and new investment opportunities,Calgary's political and business leaders greeted the proposalwith excitement. Over the following year, the scope of the projectexpanded, growing to a scale never before seen in Canada. The plan tookofficial form through an agreement between the City of Calgary and therailway company to develop a much larger area of land and to reroute orremove the railway tracks from the downtown area--a grand designfor reshaping Calgary's urban core. In 1964, amid bickering and afailed negotiating process, the project came to an abrupt end. Whatcaused this promising partnership between the nation's leadingcorporation and the burgeoning city of Calgary to collapse? What, in economic terms, was perceived to be a win-win situation forboth parties fell prey to a conflict between corporate rigidity and anunorganized, ill-informed, and over-enthusiastic civic administrationand city council. Drawing on the private records of Rod Sykes, theCPR's onsite negotiator and later Calgary's mayor, Foranunravels the fascinating story of how politics ultimately underminedpromise. Max Foran is a Professor in the Faculty ofCommunication and History at the University of Calgary. He has writtenextensively on various western Canadian urban, rural, and culturaltopics, most recently on ranching, urban growth, and sustainability.