A visual survey of possible heritage assets in an area identified according to specific criteria of historic architecture and design. It’s called a windshield survey to give the idea that an area can be quickly surveyed through the windshield of a car. In practice, the survey is completed after properties are checked by walking the streetscape and scrutinizing individual properties. This best-practice approach follows examples such as Los Angeles’ SurveyLA program. In 2019, Calgary commissioned a windshield survey to identify potential heritage assets in 26 communities. More than 4000 historic properties were identified, many of which are clustered in what could then be identified as heritage areas.
