What's Happening
We are developing an Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) for Canmore’s Downtown to support the continued evolution and long-term vibrancy of the Town’s core. As we develop the plan, there is an opportunity for the public to shape the future experience of the area – how people travel, gather, and interact with our Town Centre.
What You Need to Know
An ARP lays out a comprehensive vision supported by a land use concept, a public realm plan, and a set of supporting development policies that will work in unison over the next 25 years to the year 2050.
The project's name, Connect Downtown: Planning a Vibrant Town Centre, reflects the intent of the plan: to reimagine how people can access, gather, and interact with a network of public spaces to support a thriving mixed-use area over the long term.
Get Involved
- We will seek to understand public aspirations and concerns about the future vibrancy of the Downtown area at multiple touchpoints over the project lifespan.
- Public input will be considered and reflected in the final Downtown Area Restructure Plan (ARP) that Council will approve in 2025.
What's Happening
Beginning in spring 2025, we are developing a Public Art Plan to affirm that Canmore’s Public Art Program is bold, relevant, and inclusive.
The Public Art Plan will build upon the strengths of Canmore’s existing public art and placemaking policies, procedures, and priorities for public art in Canmore.
The goal is to create vibrant, engaging, and functional public spaces celebrating Canmore's unique character while strengthening the bond between people and place through thoughtful, context-driven, and community-informed public art.
What You Need to Know
Canmore's Public Art Program promotes artistic excellence, design integration, and diverse cultural expression in public art through new commissions and projects that:
- encourage the creation and enhancement of vibrant municipal spaces and creative neighbourhoods,
- strengthen Canmore’s identity,
- enrich the community's experience of public spaces and promote livability and cultural tourism,
- foster community pride, and
- enhance Canmore’s cultural assets for current and future generations.
A 10-year Cultural Master Plan was adopted by Canmore Town Council in 2020 to articulate a sustainable, authentic, long-term vision for cultural vitality and public art in Canmore.
The Cultural Master Plan articulates council's desire to integrate art as pillar of sustainability in Canmore. The Cultural Master Plan includes recommendations that are relevant to the development of a new Public Art Plan.
Get Involved
Follow our public engagement platform for future opportunities to share your perspective.
What is Happening
We are rewriting the Land Use Bylaw (LUB) — the document that guides how land is used and the rules around development. This rewrite is a full, start-to-finish update to create a bylaw that is easier to understand, more consistent, and better aligned with Canmore’s future.
This multi-phase project is expected to run through 2027 and includes technical analysis, best practice review, engagement with interest holders and the public, and a full drafting of the bylaw.
What You Need to Know
Since our LUB was adopted in 2018, a lot has changed — including development pressures, community priorities, and new municipal plans that set the direction for how Canmore will grow.
The existing bylaw doesn’t reflect these changes and is often unclear or difficult to apply. A full rewrite will allow us to modernize the rules, implify the language and structure, improve accessibility and navigation, support key community priorities.
Get Involved
Follow our public engagement platform for future opportunities to share your perspective.