Plus 15 Wayfinding Improvements

The City and its partners operate the Plus 15 Skywalk network in downtown Calgary. This includes 86 bridges and over 16 km of elevated walkways that connect over 100 buildings.

This network is well-used by people who live, work, and visit downtown, but it can be a confusing place to navigate. A clear wayfinding system makes it easier to use the Plus 15 network, attracting more people and creating a more accessible and better overall experience. Modernizing the Plus 15 wayfinding system will help to integrate the Plus 15 Skywalk network with transit and street-level amenities, which will support Calgary’s downtown and local businesses.

The development of a comprehensive, holistic, and clear wayfinding system that makes it easier for Calgarians and visitors to access and navigate the Plus 15 Skywalk network is supported by over a decade of Centre City policy, including:

• 2007 Centre City Plan
• 2009 Calgary Downtown Retail District Strategy
• 2015 Centre City Urban Design Guidelines
• 2017 Access Design Standards
• 2019 Plus 15 Network Study
• 2021 Calgary's Greater Downtown Plan

Based upon these recommendations, the City developed a new wayfinding strategy for the Plus 15 Skywalk network incorporating six fundamental principles which helped to guide the system’s design and information content. Those principles are:

• Consistent, flexible and accommodates different user needs.
• Easily distinguished from wayfinding provided by building owners and other parties.
• Able to prioritize point-to-point navigation, moving users through the space to destinations or cardinal directions.
• Integrated with other civic wayfinding systems and designed to reconnect Plus 15 with the street-level realm.
• A balance of blending in and standing out while being consistently placed where users expect information.
• Designed to uphold the reputation of the Plus 15 as a cohesive and contemporary pedestrian service to workers, visitors and residents.

The implementation of new Plus 15 wayfinding signage is being done in stages. The installation will begin in buildings and bridges operated by the City of Calgary, followed by the remaining buildings and bridges. Installation will start in the first quarter of 2025.

As the installation scheduled is finalized, this webpage will be updated.

Please note: the schedule is subject to change depending on factors such as complexity, supply chain and access.

Public engagement took place in March and June 2021. The objective for this engagement was to better understand the wayfinding issues in the Plus 15 Skywalk network, and to receive feedback on conceptual designs for the new maps and signs.

Due to COVID-19-related conditions and uncertain access to the Plus 15 Skywalk network, public engagement was done online using the Engage Portal. The Portal page for this project used an innovative interactive tool to collect location-based input from participants. Called “social mapping”, individuals dropped annotated pins on a map of the Plus 15 network and provided their input through comments directly on the map.

The opportunity to participate was promoted using social media advertising and local news coverage. A total of 1,284 individuals visited the Portal page for the project and 162 pins and comments were dropped on the map.

To read the results of this Engagement, view Plus 15 Wayfinding What We Heard.