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What makes a city truly vibrant in a time of climate and social change? That question was at the centre of a session, where University of Calgary researchers, students and partners explored how cities can better adapt, connect and respond under pressure. 

“Vibrant cities must be able to support people when systems are under stress. They must be prepared to respond to climate risks, affordability pressures, aging infrastructure, social vulnerability, and the ways the challenges compound one another,” says , PhD, an assistant professor in the ’s program. 

Schulich partnered with construction engineering company to explore vibrant cities as part of the first-ever Calgary Climate Week, which took place June 1-6, with a mission to prepare and position Calgary as an emerging hub for global climate solutions. The afternoon of June 4 was dedicated to exploring vibrant cities and featured talks and panel discussions with presenters from UCalgary, the City of Calgary, AECOM and architecture firms. 

From visible activity to civic capacity

“The June 4 Vibrant Cities sessions demonstrated that building a vibrant city is not a single project, sector, or plan,” says Heshami. “Calgary’s challenges are interconnected, and they require integrated, co-created solutions that involve communities, researchers, city staff, industry, policymakers and partners from the beginning.”

Heshami’s opening talk, What is a Vibrant City? defined a vibrant city as one that can adapt, care, connect and act; one that adapts to changing conditions, cares for its residents, and learns from and acts on evidence, lived experience and shared responsibility. This framing, according to Heshami, shifted the conversation from vibrancy as an aesthetic or economic condition to vibrancy as a civic capacity: a city’s ability to learn, respond, include and improve over time.

Resilience is about people, not just infrastructure

The first panel discussion, City Systems for Resiliency, invited panellists from the City, industry and Schulich to share their own definitions of a vibrant city and reflect on Calgary’s experiences during moments of disruption. The discussion showed that resilience is not only about infrastructure, but how communities respond, support one another, and learn through change. 

, an instructor and teaching chair in the department of electrical and software engineering, also highlighted how Blackfoot identity, knowledge and cultural presence can be recognized and reflected as part of a truly vibrant Calgary. 

Next-generation voices in city building

UCalgary students had the opportunity to have their voices heard in the second panel, Shaping a Resilient City for Future Generations, which brough a forward-looking lens to the symposium and explored how the decisions made today will shape the city inherited by future residents. Nicolas Leo Moreira and Isabelle Roberts, both students in the Sustainable Systems Engineering program, spoke alongside Craig Applegath from the architecture firm . 

For Moreira, who is entering his fourth year, the panel felt like a fun conversation between panellists and the audience. “One point that stood out to me was Isabelle and Craig’s statement that density is a major factor to consider for future cities and their resiliency,” he says. “It was such an important discussion, especially in Calgary, that affects so many factors in a city’s ability to support and engage with people and communities.”

Why it matters for Calgary’s future

Adds Heshami: “The students’ perspectives on current needs as well as present and future challenges for establishing a vibrant city brought energy, honesty and a future-focused voice to the discussion, reminding the audience that climate resilience and vibrant city building are not abstract concepts; they are decisions that will directly shape the lives, careers and communities of the next generation.”