Vancouver 2010.  Having been there and in Whistler for the past week, there are sites earmarked all over the area for development ahead of the Winter Olympics.  A series of high class venues and buildings, all built to house this great sporting event. 

However, my friend, who lives in Whistler, was wondering about all this construction.  Why, she asked, when you're surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery in Canada, would you want to erect a series of "iconic" buildings? 

I know that there has been talk of a lack of iconic buildings in Calgary and that planners should be considering what is being built here and how the city should look.  How a city is planned is crucial to the impression which it creates.  Vancouver insists that all of its high rise apartment blocks use the same green glass, which has a stunning effect with the backdrop of the mountains.  Edinburgh's New Town was built using the same stone, creating a whole iconic quarter, which is now a World Heritage Site.

With all the building in the Beltline and the new EnCana building going up, perhaps now is a good time to think about how Calgary might look and what kind of a city it could be in the future.