You can now officially talk to select light posts in Calgary, and they will respond

The bustle of a city has its own language, a unique way of speaking to us as we manoeuvre through our daily lives like an omnipresent companion.

Calgarians know the language of their city — bright and dry, playful yet practical. But what if the city itself, the services you use every day, could actually talk with you? 

The City of Calgary is now providing a way to have literal conversations with your metropolis. The project, titled Talking City, has implemented a system to directly communicate with over 100 select light posts, bus stops, art installations, inclusive playgrounds, swimming pools, and more. 

The City of Calgary

It’s through automated text messages that citizens can now hold conversations with their beloved City services. The everyday features of The City — which can often be taken for granted — will now be able to explicitly tell users about the value they provide and get feedback back from Calgarians about what’s important to them about that service.

Talking City instills an interesting aspect of storytelling into what many may see as mundane structures, but are truly the foundational pillars of Calgary’s personality. Imagine as you’re walking down the street, you catch a glimpse of an interesting art piece. You can say hello by using the keyword it provides and instantaneously receive a response. Pretty cool, right?

“We wanted to help bring the pieces of City services together in an innovative way for Calgarians, sharing information and initiating conversations,” said Chief Financial Officer Carla Male in a press release. “The goal is to provide citizens with a COVID-friendly way to engage with The City, attracting those who have valuable feedback for us as well as those who may not typically talk with us to provide input into our next service plan and budget cycle. It’s a great opportunity to help shape Calgary’s services for the next four years.”

The City of Calgary

The talking installations will be marked with signs, and patrons will be able to use the online Taking City map to find their locations. The signs will list a keyword and a phone number to text it to kick off the conversation. Citizens will be able to text in English, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Punjabi, and Arabic. 

What’s the goal of Talking City, you may ask? Other than deepening the relationship between Calgarians and their city, the project will provide The City of Calgary with valuable insight. Talking City is one of many elements of engagement and research to support City service planning, like an online survey open to everyone and focused research with a citizen review panel, all of which will contribute to the creation of service plans and budgets. It will create a roadmap for how The City delivers and allocates funding for services. 

The City of Calgary

“Our service plans and budgets serve as the foundation for our service delivery, the value we provide, and how we contribute to the quality of life in your community. Your input is an important part of the process,” said Male. “By getting your feedback, we can better understand your perspective around our service levels and the value you receive for your tax dollars and user fees.”

Curious to chat with a bus stop? Visit a Talking City location and text the keyword to the number on the sign for a fun fact about it — you never know what you could uncover.

To learn more about the program and let The City of Calgary know what you value in the services you use every day, head to engage.calgary.ca.