The Innovation Lab Phase 3 Share your ideas! (Completed) March 19 - April 2

Calgary has a high ratio of independent consultants and entrepreneurs than any other Canadian city. For this group it is not often possible to lease office space. And if you've young kids you can't typically work from home. Also, if you're travelling from out of town and wish to have a meeting with a local client, a temp meeting room easily booked through an app provides a quick way to have business discussions. Coffee shops are noisy and public and it is difficult to have business conversations in a public setting especially when confidentiality is needed or you wish to have a larger group and if you want to have a conference call. A private setting is more suitable.

Providing safe, accessible places where entrepreneurs can interact, have business conversations, share start-up business ideas will provide a safe and accessible platform distributed throughout the city that will be not only add a revenue stream for the city but also facilitate collaboration.

An app will be needed to show all the meetup spaces available on a map, windows available and rates. When you sign-up for a slot you'll be given a bar-code that you scan at the meetup entry and scan again when you leave and you'll be charged for the time you used the space. You will be able to rent a shared space or a private space.

The development of downtown’s East village has proved that, it is important to have a great mix of new and old in order to retain the cultural richness of city. It also authorizes cleansing of space which traditionally has stereotypical sentiments attached to it. Similar to Simmon’s block which houses businesses and allows a shared space for businesses; it is important to look into developing areas that surround Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre as well.

Repurposing historical buildings into cultural spaces will allow the use of pathway’s, bike lanes and slowly divert the inherent issues that an area surrounding rehab’s and drop in’s face and eliminate stereotypical fears that citizens have for areas surrounding Drop-In centres. It helps develop the East village further, supporting downtown living and growth of businesses in surrounding areas creating more jobs and opportunities. It also permits use of technology new and existing to flourish hand in hand as city repurposes it old with new.

There are various examples all over North America which used similar idea, which proved to be successful to create the creative, economical and entreprenurial richness of the city.One such example is linked below:

https://epicureandculture.com/historical-buildings-accommdation-cultural-spaces/

The increased used of pathways, bike lanes, development of areas with more cultural richness, more shared spaces eliminating crime in and around Drop- In centre. the most direct effect of this could be measured by the amount of jobs and business opportunities that the reinvention of this space will permit.

Use of technology, architecture, newer construction methods, creative collaboration and public input are the most important aspects of projects like such. The redevelopment of spaces with historical significance requires use of technology, IT, newer and ecological methods of construction and creative collaboration which can be used from local artists. All these simple factors constitutes the scope of technology that is required to reinvent and redevelop and re use this space into something more meaningful.