Calgary is getting colourful new public spaces made out of shipping containers

Some new outdoor public spaces are coming to Calgary, and they look like the perfect spot to enjoy a sunny summer day.

If you’re in Kensington or the Beltline this week, you may notice some Instagram-worthy additions being installed around the community.

The City of Calgary revealed in a Thursday morning Facebook post that these new public spaces are called “parklets,” and they’ll be located in front of the Plaza Theatre in the Kensington Plaza and in the westbound lane of 17th Avenue between 9th and 10th Street SW.

Made from shipping containers, the parklets will include solar lighting, seasonally appropriate planters, and furnishings for Calgarians to enjoy. The City of Calgary hopes to make the parklets active and welcoming places.

In addition to creating extra outdoor seating in these communities, the parklets will bring more art to Calgary. The walls of the shipping containers will feature murals by the Beltline Urban Murals Project, and, if the initial photos shared by the City are any indication, these colourful shipping containers will make for a picture-perfect location to hang out this summer.

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The parklets will be installed in Kensington on Thursday and in the Beltline on Friday.

The shipping containers are open for use as soon as they’re installed, however, if you want to get the full effect, you might want to wait until next week to visit these public spaces. The City of Calgary says that planters and furnishings will be added over the next few days, with the parklets set to be complete early next week.

According to the City of Calgary, the idea for the parklet pilot project came about in 2020, as a way to “increase the amount of public, street-level seating space in warmer summer months.”

When the cold weather returns to Calgary, the parklets will relocate to other outdoor spots that need additional seating in the winter months.