Flood Recovery for Heritage Calgary, Alberta and surrounding area Alicia Ghadban Heritage Conservation and Sustainability Sustainable Heritage Case Study December 8, 2014
Quan, Ryan. (Photographer). (2013). Floods 2013 Skyline. [Photograph]. Retrieved from
Lessons Growing concern for human impact on climate change Changes to natural environment, shifts frequency and magnitude of natural disasters Disaster and emergency preparedness plans are needed Mitigate threats and reduce impact by sustaining built and natural environments
Hwy43. (2013). Map of southern and central Alberta showing rivers that flooded and declared states of local emergency. [Map]. Retrieved from
Description 2013 flood affected much of southern Alberta Weather conditions led to heavy rain fall City of Calgary located along the Bow River (long history of flooding) More communities and individuals affected in densely populated areas
Stakeholders City of Calgary / Calgary Heritage Authority Additional city/town municipalities Government of Alberta (Alberta Historical Resources Foundation) Parks Canada Cultural institutions Heritage property owners Community members
Timeline (of place) Long history of Aboriginal presence 1860s: European settlement began 1874: North-West Mounted Police stationed 1875: Fort Calgary built at Bow and Elbow rivers 1883: area linked to CPR 1884: officially incorporated as Town of Calgary
Timeline (of event) Heritage professionals gathered to discuss situation Compiled list of historic properties likely impacted Conducted impact assessments on heritage sites Ongoing Services: Community and site visits Identify contractors with heritage knowledge Cleanup and alterations to mitigate future flood impacts
Natural/Cultural Heritage Over 700 significant sites in Calgary (not all possess legal protection) Unable to quantify without online or updated inventories No official list of flood impacted heritage properties
Sustainability Appropriate planning and mitigation strategies require collaboration between emergency response teams and heritage professionals STANDATA outlines flood mitigation measures Government of Alberta committed $600 million to improve flood resiliency
Alberta Culture: Government of Alberta. (Photographer). (2013). In the path of the flood. [Photograph]. Retrieved from
Alberta Culture: Government of Alberta. (Photographer). (2013). Help for the Highwood. [Photograph]. Retrieved from
(Retroactive Blogger). (2013). Flood impacts to the Maccoy House, a Municipal Historic Resource, in High River. [Photograph]. Retrieved from
References Alberta Municipal Affairs. (2013). Building Code Bulletin: Standata, Disaster Recovery Program Flood Mitigation Measures. Retrieved from Berenfeld, M. L. (2008). “Climate Change and Cultural Heritage: Local Evidence, Global Reponses.” George Wright Forum, English Heritage. (2010). Flooding and Historic Buildings. Retrieved from buildings/flooding-and-historic-buildings-2nd-ed.pdf buildings/flooding-and-historic-buildings-2nd-ed.pdf Levin, J. (2008). Putting Heritage on the Map: A Discussion about Disaster Management and Cultural Heritage. The GCI Newsletter, Retrieved from McCarthy, D. (2013). Facing Disaster: The Importance of Heritage Inventories in Preparation and Response. The GCI Newsletter, Retrieved from Stovel, H. (1998). Risk Preparedness: A Management Manual for World Cultural Heritage. Rome: ICCROM. Retrieved from