All the elements that make up the physical environment of a street and define its character. These elements include paving, sidewalks, trees and vegetation, lighting, building type, fencing, setback of buildings, etc. Historic streetscapes have garnered significant attention lately, with the approval of heritage policies to protect historic streetscapes in July 2020. Within part 4, see heritage area policy for historic residential streetscapes.

Main streets are often considered to be the principal streets of a town where shops, restaurants and other businesses are found. Main streets have historically developed along streetcar lines and then auto-oriented roadways. Calgary's Municipal Development Plan provides guidance for the development of main streets. The highest densities and tallest buildings on the main street should be concentrated into "nodes" that occur at the intersections of the main street with other major transit streets.

In encouraging the growth of a more compact city, Calgary's Municipal Development Plan (MDP) guides the highest density towards mixed-use, transit-supported main streets and activity centres. Currently, Calgary's primary activity centre is the Downtown. The MDP encourages the strategic placement of other activity centres that will support long-term employment and population growth in locations served by high-frequency transit services.

A local area plan guides where and how future growth and redevelopment should happen within a specific area. Calgary's new multi-community approach is to create one local area plan for groupings of 10 to 15 communities. This approach would help reduce the number of about 270 existing and possible "Area Redevelopment Plans" to approx. 42 multi-community area plans. A simplified framework allows area plans to be kept up-to-date using a common set of policies that support the growth of a more compact city.

In an effort to increase population in developed Calgary, the City is changing its rules for adding new development. Urban form categories create designations to allow for multi-unit, mixed-use buildings (commercial & residential) in the creation of local area plans. Neighbourhood urban form categories include: commercial required (where commercial uses should be offered on the ground floor); active (a mix of commercial and residential with high pedestrian activity); general (supporting a broad range of housing types and some small-to-moderate commercial uses); and local (a broad range of housing types and home-based businesses with strong private-public separation).

The current Land Use Bylaw in Calgary assigns a “district” (zone) to land parcels with permitted and discretionary uses. This approach to development is called “use-based” planning. Calgary’s land use bylaw distinguishes between residential, commercial, and industrial categories. Separate districts are defined for low-density residential, including: single-detached housing (R1, RC-1), duplexes (R2), and row houses (R-CG). These districts offer clarity and predictability to the planning process, giving citizens some assurance about what will be allowed where. The districts also attribute differences in building height and lot coverage that have impacts for overshadowing and massing, especially significant in historic neighbourhoods with older buildings. Currently, re-designations must go to a Public Hearing of Council that allows residents to comment on the impacts of new development in their neighbourhoods.

The urban form categories proposed for local area planning provide the foundation for a new bylaw that combines low-density housing forms into a new “district” or set of “districts.” If the new bylaw is adopted, to be considered in 2021, this will signal a shift towards “form-based” development, where physical form rather than the separation of uses becomes the organizing principle. The City would be able to implement its growth strategy more quickly. More diverse building types would be allowed without the need for public comment on the introduction of multi-unit and multi-use (commercial & residential) buildings in neighbourhoods.

A secondary suite is self-contained anywhere within the main home (often the basement) but secondary to it (smaller). A backyard suite must be smaller than the main house and be contained in a detached building behind the front façade of the main residential building. Examples are a suite located above a garage or a separate “laneway” or “garden” house. Legal suites contain 2 or more rooms designed to be used as a residence by one or more persons. Suites must have a kitchen, living, sleeping and sanitary facilities, and one parking stall on the parcel. They must meet all building codes for safety and construction and have passed inspection. Secondary and backyard suites do not have a separate title and cannot be sold independently of the main home. They can be rented out, owner-occupied, or occupied by other person(s) like a family member or caregiver.

Designated heritage homes may be eligible for the City’s Historic Resource Conservation matching  grant program to help with retrofitting costs and all homes listed on the Inventory of Evaluated Historic Resources may be considered for parking bylaw relaxations, if parking for tenants can’t be accommodated on site. The City continues to update its tools and incentives to accommodate suites and retain heritage.