Daniel's+Research

http://www.calgary-city-maps.com/Tuscany-Calgary.html
//School profiles//. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cbe.ab.ca/schools/view.asp?id=330 http://tripplanning.calgarytransit.com/ hodge, G, & Gordon, David. (2008). //Focus on the built environment//. Toronto: Nelson. Robb, A. (2010, May 7). //Government partnership moves forward with calgary transit projects//. Retrieved from http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/mediaroom/releases-2010-h050e-5913.htm

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=SITE ANALYSIS= = = Tuscany started in 1995 on 433.8 hectares of land in the northwest, the development includes 68.8 hectares of ravines and the 16,000-square-foot Tuscany Club for residents' use on 2.4 hectares of land. The initial plan was designed to have 4,880 single- and multi-family homes by completion. The area is bounded to the north by Tuscany Drive NW, to the east by Tuscany Valley View NW, to the south by Tuscany Boulevard NW and to the west by Tuscany Way NW (first reference on list). From a broader geographic perspective Tuscany is a residential area bounded to the north-west quadrant of the City of Calgary and is located at the western edge of the city, bounded to the north by Crowchild Trail, to the east by Stoney trail, Bearspaw Dam Road to the south and Twelve Mile Coulee Road and the recently annexed community of Lynx Ridge and the rural acreages of bearspaw to the west.

Tuscany is a residential development of about 1,000 acres based on a radial road pattern radiating from a commercial/service town center. The plan for Tuscany includes provisions for recreational facilities, bikeways, a pedestrian pathway system, natural and developed landscapes and streetscapes, park features, and community- design features such as fencing and public furnishings (second reference on list . The inhabitants have access to big-city convenience as well as a panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains, while having quick escape routes to both foothills and ski hills. The neighbourhood includes a 70-hectare natural ravine system that has been set aside as an environmental reserve.

Tuscany streets are child-friendly. It has been described as a perfect, quiet location with lots of green space, trails, the Calgary Tuscany off-leash park and a recreational centre. It offers good access to Stoney Trail, the Trans-Canada Highway and Crowchild Trail as well. A large shopping complex just east on Crowchild gives these people convenient access to everything they need, including the Crowfoot C-Train station. There are also several routes to downtown, smaller local shopping areas and an unobstructed view to the west that gives folks a panoramic view of the mountains or Canada Olympic Park as well. (this part was taken from the third site on the list; however, it is more of a general source since there is no autor per se) Tuscany schools are becoming more available since more government funding is on its way for the construction of more schools (4th link) .There's quick access to the ski hills at Canmore, the beautiful Lynx Ridge Golf Course and the main Bow River Pathway system as well.

**Transportation**

Crowchild Trail and Stoney Trail are the main arteries taking Tuscanites in and out by road. Tuscany’s recently acquired transportation links squelch any concerns that it is an isolated suburb. The Stoney Trail ring road brushing past the community gives Tuscany enviable commuter routes and the neighbourhood’s public transit system will get a boost with the addition of a C-Train extension due to be complete by 2014 (Crowfoot Station is only a short drive away). Tuscany counts with two bus routes which offer easy access to the city center, routes 74 and 174. Major arteries provide convenient access to downtown and Calgary International Airport. Tuscany transportation system allows its inhabitants to obtain easy access to the LRT train. For instance, the estimated travel time from the intersection of Tuscany Blv. and Tuscany Drive is fifteen minutes, according to Calgary Transit (trip planning link Calgary Transit ).Moreover, Tuscany makes use of a good land use in terms of the use of transportation to interconnect the neighborhood with other areas in the city. Households need access either by automobile or public transportation to city services and goods. That is, individuals need to obtain goods and services which can only be supplied by available transportation systems. The various facilities associated with transportation in our communitie - roads, sidewalks, streetcar lines, rapid transit, bus stops - are the visible evidence of these necessary connections (Hodge & Gordon. 2008). That is how the road and transportation systems connected to Tuscany allowed inhabitants to enjoy good life standards with easy access to services and supplies of goods.

(TELL US WHAT ALL OF THESE FACTS MEAN. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO CERTAIN AREAS OF THE CITY? ARE THESE TIMES ACCEPTABLE OR PROBLEMATIC? WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WAIT AT A BUS STOP? WHAT ARE THE WAIT TIMES LIKE? ETC ETC)

Tuscany will enjoy having an extension of the LRT train, the northwest light rail transit line from Crowfoot to Rocky Ridge and Tuscany by 2014. In other words, Tuscany commuters will be able to save time, according to the estimated fifteen minutes bus ride currently in service), since less time will be spent waiting and using public bus services. On the other hand, commuters will benefit, during winter conditions, from having a train station that will protect them from the harsh weather conditions experimented using bus services.



The image above describes the new LRT extension to Tuscany expected to be finalized by 2014, according to Transport Canada (last link)

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= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =The Beginnings of Tuscany=

The oldest accountability for the ownership of what is known today as Tuscany, sections 8 and 17, is dated back to the 1920s when W. M. Parslow, a veteran rancher and horse breeder who settled in Calgary, owned this section of the city. The land then eventually passed to the hands of a consortium of thirteen members who gave the land the name of Pyramid Ranch in the 1960s.

Since 1973, the Alberta Historical Resources Preservation Act has prevented the industry, such as developers, from having confrontation with the First Nations over sacred lands. **Historic preservation** or **heritage conservation** is a endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historic significance. Other names for the discipline include urban conservation, landscape preservation, built environment conservation, built heritage conservation, object conservation, and immovable object conservation; however, "historic preservation" is generally used in reference to activities in the United and Canada.

In this case Alberta Historical Resources Preservation Act requires an archeological survey before an area is developed. As a result, CARMA Developers Ltd. was required to assess the land through two surveys which uncovered two significant discoveries of ancient aboriginal activity. These activities were believed to date back as far as 8,500 years corresponding to a village and a waterfront hunting area. As a result, the Alberta Historical Resources Preservation Act recommended excavations before the development of Tuscany. Carma approached the University of Calgary to have the excavation met its legal requirement by becoming part of the school's yearly archeological field under the direction of the U of C archeology professor Dr. Gerry Oetelaar.

Tuscany stands out on two grounds, for the quality of its treasures and the respect of the law by honoring the land's ancestors. Therefore, Carma consulted local Natives and partnered with the Tsuu T'ina Nation, located in a reserve across the Bow River, in order to have the First Nations support and blessings. They held opening and closing ceremonies during every excavation blessing the excavations and the artifacts found. Moreover, Carma not only had the participation of university students but also of members of the general public, high school and junior high. That way Carma met its legal requirements for dealing with archeological materials discovered at a development site. On the other hand, participants' attitude changed through this experience about archeology and Native culture. The artifacts recovered at Tuscany include about 10,000 pieces, unearthing ancient campfires, tools and buffalo-roast bones, along with an ash layer from a volcanic eruption that created Oregon's Crater Lake in about 5,000 BC. One of the must important discoveries was that of a tipi ring, which uncovered the evidence of five separate human occupation events, stacked on one another in the same location, stretching back over 8,000 years. At the level dated about 6,800 years ago, archeologist found a projectile point known as Bitterroot point and many bison bones, from larger bison than today"s buffalo, killed and butchered on the site. The most significant discovery at Tuscany was a four cm long piece of Knife River flint turned out to be a spear point called Agate Basin point, left in there about 8,500 years ago.















=Other considerations in terms of the original ideas by the developers in terms of the type of housing (3 types) and the environment that Tuscany would provide to owners.=

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