Across Calgary’s expanding suburbs, rows of similar-looking townhouses, detached homes and repetitive rooflines are becoming a familiar sight as the city works to keep pace with housing demand.

According to a social media post asking Calgarians their thoughts on the architectural look in newly developed communities, some Calgarians see these rapidly developing neighbourhoods as cookie-cutter models.

They say they’re copies of one another that lack architectural and design variety, sacrificing Calgary’s residential charm and making new suburbs look borderline dystopian. Some see it as a result of private equity and finalization, and that these homes are built to sell, not to be lived in for years to come.

Urban design experts argue that similar-looking neighbourhoods are nothing new in Calgary and that the real measure of a neighbourhood with character is in walkability, access to services, nature and public spaces, not design choices.

The industry perspective shows builders are working with strict regulations while responding to what buyers can realistically afford. What some see as the death of unique neighbourhoods is a frantic response to housing pressures in a growing city. 

According to Leslie Evans, executive director for the Federation of Calgary Communities, the issue lies in the push for faster, cheaper, more efficient housing that might come at the expense of long-term durability and a lack of community identity. She said that what’s missing is more consideration when planning.

“I think we need to go back to thinking about master planning and creating something that’s unique,” she said.

“To really think about what this community is compared to the one we just built.”

Evans said Calgary’s older master-planned communities stand out because planners intentionally designed them with distinct street layouts, boulevards, trees and rooflines, while also using quality materials.

“There’s characteristics that were planned from the very start to create that unique community,” she said.

“We have to adapt to the changing pace and consider the quality of the build. The crisis will continue, but we need to adapt and say ‘how do we ensure quality?’”

The reality of rapid development

As pressures grow to keep up with housing demand, developers focus on rapidly producing homes. According to Amie Blanchette, CEO of BILD Calgary Region, affordability and responding to the needs of consumers is the main priority.

“Affordability has to remain a priority,” she said.

“If we think about that rapid growth and where people want to set down roots when they get to the city, there’s a ton of options,” she said.

Blanchette said that it’s about offering choice.

“It’s about people and providing houses for people,” she said.

According to Evans, there are land-use requirements that can dictate certain choices development companies can make in neighbourhoods. These regulations affect things like building materials, land use, environmental considerations and municipal reserve requirements. 

“I think there’s a wide misunderstanding that there’s this blank slate that developers get to work with,” she said. 

“But even under that burden of legislative and regulatory framework, we still see innovative designs coming through and some creativity that will differentiate one neighbourhood from another.”

According to Beverly Sandalack, an urban design and landscape architecture professor at the University of Calgary, similar-looking neighbourhoods are not a new phenomenon.

“When haven’t we seen a consistency in neighbourhoods? That’s been going on for at least half a century,” she said.

“If you look at any of the neighbourhoods that were built in the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s, like Glendale, Glamorgan and Glenbrook in the southwest, they were all developed during that era, and they look remarkably the same.”

Sandalack said that the premise of new neighbourhoods looking the same has been the pattern of urban development all along. 

“Until around 1950, neighbourhoods were developed house by house, or block by block and there would be a lot more variety of accents, but it was restricted by the materials that were available in the economy at the time,” she said.

“Wood frame houses were much more popular than brick or concrete because those materials were important in the trades. So when developers would buy land and develop a neighbourhood all at once, it tended to have a consistent look.”

What people call cookie-cutter development is a product of large-scale production, efficiency and market demand. According to Sandalack, it’s a normal sight to see as Calgary’s neighbourhoods expand.

“Cities evolve; nothing stays the same. Over time, Infill happens, styles change, needs change,” she said.

“It takes a little while for neighbourhoods to grow in and to develop some character.”