Vibrant Community Gathering Place Emerges Through Innovative Planning and Design

Radio Park is a planned urban park in west Calgary that marries public open space with stormwater management to create a recreational destination for the surrounding community. The park is located within West District, an 84-acre master planned development that is envisioned as a high-density, mixed-use, compact and transit-supportive neighborhood. HDR, collaborating with the City of Calgary, Truman Development Corporation and CivicWorks Planning + Design, master planned the park to be the heart of the development’s urban center.  

A Resilient, Active Community Asset

The eight-acre park is organized around a central lake that provides stormwater storage for the West District development. Fountains, boardwalks, overlooks and plantings transform the lake from stormwater infrastructure to park centerpiece. A variety of program elements, such as a performance venue, wintertime ice rink and restaurant provide activities for all seasons which make the park a year-round destination. Principles of resiliency helped guide the design, which resulted in active park spaces that are rarely impacted by storm events.

Radio Park provides a new approach in implementing the Calgary City Council’s Smart Growth goals. As part of the planned urban center, the park is forward-thinking and multi-functional, integrating people spaces with stormwater management and natural landscape. HDR’s landscape architects and water resource engineers have drawn upon their success with related projects, such as Historic Fourth Ward Park and Rodney Cook Sr. Park, to elevate the design and resiliency of Radio Park. The result is a seamlessly integrated park and stormwater management facility that provides a unique and dynamic public open space within the vibrant West District urban development.

Radio Park opened in 2025. Truman Development Corporation relied on HDR’s Radio Park Master Plan and the associated permitted staged drainage plan to guide the evolution of the project. These foundational planning and engineering documents established the stormwater strategy, spatial framework and design intent for the park, enabling Truman to advance the concept into final design and construction. 

 All renderings courtesy of S2 Architecture.

All photographs courtesy of Michael Wach. These photos depict how Truman Development Corporation implemented HDR’s original master plan to create a park space that anchors the West District development.