Beautiful form and colour, “skycutting” Downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada PHOTO BY theWedge.LIVE

By theWedge.LIVE

Some urban centres deserve a place at the beauties’ table. Their architecture, shapes and surfaces, and their juxtaposition can inspire awe.

Calgary may rank among the most beautiful in North America.

“Skycutting” is our word for these towering architectural shards that pierce the sky in our photos. The sky is the architects’ canvas.

Downtown’s numerous edifices cut the sky into pleasing aesthetic form. The palette of colours range widely, employing more natural tones than other urban centres prone to the monochromatic and “blingy.”

A walk downtown Calgary is full of surprises.

Downtown Calgary at night, Alberta, Canada PHOTO BY theWedge.LIVE

The Golden Hour, Downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada PHOTO BY theWedge.LIVE

Calgary Tower peeks through layers of towers, Downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada PHOTO BY theWedge.LIVE

Downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada PHOTO BY theWedge.LIVE

Downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada PHOTO BY theWedge.LIVE

Framed by charming bridge, Downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada PHOTO BY theWedge.LIVE

The Plus 15

The “Plus 15” is a major highlight in Calgary. Where else in the world can you travel through a city’s core above ground and avoid the elements?

From every sidewalk or road these suspended walkways slice through our views.

It features 86 pedestrian bridges and approximately 16 kms of sheltered walkways. The bridges are fifteen feet above ground, hence the name. It joins buildings downtown into an inner city of sorts. Its scale is striking.

“I’ve been everywhere and there is nothing like it,” local resident “Brise” exclaims about the Plus 15.

You can travel by foot in downtown Calgary on the coldest days without a coat. You work, shop, dine, and even have your shoes shined along the Plus 15. You can wrap-up your day by hopping on a c-train toward your point of origin.

Progress continues to connect more buildings and update walkways. It is clearly a work of love engaging the public every step of the way.

The Plus 15 may be valued infrastructure to Calgarians, but it is a tourism draw in itself.

One of eighty-three pedestrian bridges, Plus 15, Downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada PHOTO BY theWedge.LIVE

Plus 15 suspended pedestrian walkway, Downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada PHOTO BY theWedge.LIVE

Plus 15 Network maps, Downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada PHOTO BY theWedge.LIVE

Sculpture and view from inside Plus 15, Downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada PHOTO BY theWedge.LIVE

Stay-tuned for our feature on eyes-on-the-ground streetscapes in Calgary. This city is bursting with creative expression.