Where Art Belongs
The types of sites, maps and spatial opportunities for public art that can guide where and how creative projects can be integrated throughout Chinatown.
Location Framework & Approach
This section outlines the approach used to identify and prioritize locations for public art within Calgary’s Chinatown. The Location Framework is grounded in community feedback and reflects how people experience, move through and gather in the neighbourhood.
Rather than identifying specific sites or prescribing where public art should be located, the approach focused on understanding patterns of place, which are the types of locations most frequently identified by the community as meaningful for public art. Through a staged engagement process, preliminary location themes were identified, refined and validated, while also considering practical constraints related to land ownership, permissions and the existing built environment.
The outcome is a set of location types that articulate where public art is most desired. These archetypes provide guidance for future planning and implementation, while remaining flexible to site conditions, partnerships and opportunities as they arise.
Step 1: Assess survey findings
Review and analyze survey responses to understand where public art is most meaningful.
Outcome
Identification of preliminary location preferences based on the areas most frequently referenced.
Step 2: Refine location preferences
Conduct interviews and get feedback on top location preferences.
Outcome
Refinement from preferences to preliminary location themes and deeper insight into site context
Step 3: Develop preliminary location themes
Group similar location themes based on interview feedback, context, recurring quotes and support.
Outcome
Articulation of a clear set of location themes reflecting interview feedback.
Step 4: Vote on location themes
Through a set of focus sessions, facilitate discussions and voting on location themes.
Outcome
Validation and prioritization of location themes by interested parties facilitated through focus sessions
Step 5: Synthesize engagement findings
Bring together survey, interview and focus session feedback to refine further. Include architectural, regulatory and other considerations.
Outcome
Identification of the top five site types, to reflect community priorities.
Community preferred site locations within Chinatown
- Public realm
- Green spaces
- Commercial corridors
- Natural edges and boundaries
- Community and cultural facilities
Community Identified Location Types
Location types are community-identified spaces where public art is most desired, based on engagement and voting outcomes.
Each location type includes:
- A description rooted in community feedback
- Illustrative types of public art
- Key considerations for implementation
- Examples identified through engagement
1. Public realm
This location type describes locations where people experience Chinatown through everyday movement and routine activity. These spaces are part of daily life — walked, crossed, paused within — and were frequently identified by community members as opportunities for public art that is visible, accessible and integrated into the community.
Community feedback emphasized the value of art that appears along the way, rather than at a single destination, reinforcing identity through repetition, scale and proximity. This includes:
- Sidewalks and pedestrian corridors
- Crosswalks and intersections
- Laneways and secondary pathways
- Areas with high daily foot traffic
Community identified examples:
- Murals or graphic treatments on adjacent surfaces
- Banners or temporary installations
- Functional or design integrated elements (e.g. seating, railings, screens)
- Temporary or rotating works that animate daily movement
Key Considerations
- Public vs. private property, including permissions from adjacent landowners
- City right-of-way regulations and infrastructure requirements
- Durability and maintenance in high-use areas
- Accessibility and safety, particularly for pedestrian movement
- Heritage and built form sensitivity, where applicable
2. Green spaces
This location type includes parks, plazas, gardens and small open spaces where people gather, rest and spend time together in Chinatown. Through engagement, community members identified these spaces as important settings for public art that supports pause, reflection and cultural presence, rather than movement alone.
Parks and green spaces were valued as places where art can foster intergenerational connection, support informal cultural activities and offer moments of calm within a dense urban environment. Community feedback emphasized the role of these spaces as shared cultural commons.
This includes:
- Neighbourhood parks and small green spaces
- Plazas and courtyards used for rest and informal gathering
- Garden-like settings associated with cultural or community facilities
- Open spaces suitable for community events, programming or seasonal activity
Community identified examples:
- Sculptural or three-dimensional works integrated into landscape settings
- Seating, shade or garden elements with artistic or cultural design
- Interpretive or storytelling features embedded in pathways or along Chinatown boundaries
- Temporary or seasonal installations that support programming or events
- Interactive or tactile works suitable for all ages
Key Considerations
- City of Calgary ownership and permitting, including parks, infrastructure or City approvals
- Landscape and environmental constraints, such as tree protection and drainage
- Accessibility and safety, including visibility, circulation and inclusive design
- Maintenance and durability, particularly for outdoor and interactive elements
- Shared use, ensuring art complements recreational and community functions
3. Commercial corridors
This location type includes Chinatown’s main streets and commercial spaces where daily life, commerce and movement intersect. These corridors are among the most visible and frequently used spaces in the neighbourhood, shaped by storefronts, signage and pedestrian activity. Through engagement, community members identified commercial corridors as critical sites for public art that reinforces cultural identity, supports local businesses and strengthens Chinatown’s presence within the city.
Commercial corridors were described as places where public art should feel integrated, lived-in and relational, rather than monumental or detached. Community feedback emphasized art that reflects everyday experiences such as food, language, migration, work and intergenerational exchange, while contributing to safety, vibrancy and a welcoming atmosphere.
This includes:
- Primary streets and commercial intersections (e.g., Centre Street and connecting corridors)
- Active frontages with storefronts, restaurants and services
- Laneways and side streets supporting commercial activity
- Areas with high pedestrian movement and transit access
Community identified examples:
- Integrated artworks embedded into storefronts or street furniture
- Murals, graphics or surface treatments that reflect local stories and cultural identity
- Temporary or rotating installations that support festivals, night markets or seasonal programming
- Functional art elements such as seating or wayfinding with cultural references
- Artist-led activations at laneways and underused edges along commercial streets
Key Considerations
- Visibility and language clarity, ensuring art contributes to wayfinding, identity and a strong sense of place
- Business co-ordination, including alignment with storefront operations, signage and deliveries
- Safety and comfort, particularly sightlines and nighttime presence
- Durability and maintenance, given high pedestrian use and exposure to weather
- Cultural authenticity, avoiding generic or stereotypical imagery in favour of community-informed expression
- Flexibility, allowing for temporary, seasonal or evolving works that respond to change over time
4. Natural edges & boundaries
These natural and transitional edges define and frame Chinatown, particularly along the Bow River and at points where the neighbourhood meets adjacent districts. Community members described these areas as spaces of threshold and transition, where movement, memory and landscape intersect, shaping first impressions and signaling entry into Chinatown.
Through engagement, participants identified these edges as important opportunities for public art that emphasizes arrival, reflection and continuity, rather than activity alone. They were seen as places to slow down, acknowledge history and connect Chinatown’s cultural presence to the broader city and surrounding natural environment.
These edge conditions were also understood as key locations where Chinatown’s identity is expressed beyond the neighbourhood, using boundaries as points of connection, visibility and welcome instead of separation.
This includes:
- Riverfront pathways and open spaces along the Bow River
- Park edges and green buffers at the perimeter
- Bridges, crossings and visual corridors into and out of Chinatown
- Transitional zones between Chinatown and adjacent communities
Community identified examples:
- Sculptural or interpretive works that reference migration, arrival and movement
- Story-based elements embedded into pathways, seating or landscape features
- Works that engage with water, light, sound or seasonal change
- Gateway or threshold markers that signal entry into Chinatown
- Quiet, contemplative installations that support pause and reflection
Key Considerations
- Environmental sensitivity, including flood protection, river ecology and landscape integrity.
- Visibility from multiple vantage points, including pathways, bridges and adjacent neighbourhoods.
- Safety and accessibility, particularly along shared-use paths and at night.
- Durability and resilience, given exposure to weather and seasonal conditions.
- Coordination with City of Calgary infrastructure, including flood barriers, pathways and parks planning.
- Cultural meaning at edges, ensuring boundary spaces express identity rather than absence.
5. Community & cultural facilities
This includes buildings and spaces that serve as anchors for cultural life, services and community gatherings in Chinatown. Through engagement, these places were consistently identified as trusted environments where culture is practiced, knowledge is shared and relationships are sustained across generations.
Community and cultural facilities were described as spaces where public art should support participation, learning and belonging, rather than act as a standalone feature. Participants emphasized the value of art that is integrated into daily programs and activities, reinforcing these sites as living centres of culture and care.
This includes:
- Cultural centres and temples
- Community halls, seniors’ centres and social service spaces
- Educational, youth and arts-focused facilities
- Multi-use buildings hosting cultural programming or community events
- Indoor and semi-public spaces connected to community institutions
Community identified examples:
- Public art integrated into interior and exterior gathering spaces, entrances or courtyards
- Storytelling elements that reflect lived experience, migration and community memory
- Youth- and elder-led projects embedded into programming or workshops
- Temporary or rotating works that respond to seasons, festivals or community use
- Interpretive or participatory elements that support learning and dialogue
Key Considerations
- Community governance and trust, ensuring art is developed with and supported by facility users
- Accessibility and inclusion, including language, mobility and intergenerational needs
- Alignment with programming, allowing art to complement cultural activities and services
- Shared stewardship, including maintenance responsibilities and long-term care
- Flexibility, supporting evolving use, rotating works and community-led change over time
Map of Chinatown
MAP
5 Location Types
- Public realm
- Green spaces
- Commercial corridors
- Natural edges and boundaries
- Community and cultural facilities