Five of Calgary's earliest skyscrapers quietly have been transformed from stuffy corporate headquarters to more contemporary, fun places to work and play. Opinion writer Richard White strolls by to see how they've done in the conversions to lure smaller, startup tenants.

'The new council will need to adapt to the new economic realities of COVID and climate change, and not try to preserve the past.' Urban development writer Richard White shares his top priorities for Calgary's next city council.

The city can add all the murals, banners, hanging baskets, street furniture, public art and public spaces it wants in the downtown, but first they are going to have to deal with the safety and comfort issue, says urban affairs writer Richard White.

It will be interesting to see if the private sector can make the numbers work with the help of the citys new subsidy program to convert old office buildings into new market housing, says Richard White, who writes about Calgary's urban development.

The west coast contingent was so dominant, I heard Calgarys downtown referred to as Vancouver East a few years ago. However, some Vancouver developers have quietly begun to leave, says Richard White, who writes about Calgary's urban development.

What the city really needs is an action plan focusing on the transformation of the downtown core from an office ghetto to a hip place where young professionals want to live, play and yes, fill up the empty office spaces, says Richard White.