Methodology
The 7 Civic Domains
Calgary Council Values uses seven civic domains to help organize and visualize how council decisions may impact different parts of city life.
These domains are inspired by long-standing urban sustainability and civic analysis frameworks used in Calgary and elsewhere, but this project is independent and not affiliated with any external organization.
The framework exists to improve clarity, consistency, and transparency when reviewing public council voting records.
Community
How decisions affect neighbourhood life, social connection, public participation, inclusion, safety, and civic belonging.
Examples may include:
- community planning
- recreation access
- neighbourhood services
- cultural spaces
- civic participation
- public gathering spaces
Economy
How decisions affect affordability, taxation, investment, business activity, employment, and long-term economic resilience.
Examples may include:
- property taxes
- business incentives
- economic development
- municipal finance
- affordability measures
- investment priorities
Education
How decisions affect learning, youth development, public awareness, libraries, knowledge access, and civic literacy.
Examples may include:
- libraries
- youth programs
- learning access
- public education partnerships
- literacy initiatives
- civic education
Wellness
How decisions affect physical health, mental health, housing stability, accessibility, emergency response, safety, and overall quality of life.
Examples may include:
- housing supports
- public health
- mental health programs
- emergency services
- accessibility
- social wellbeing
Natural Environment
How decisions affect ecosystems, biodiversity, emissions, parks, air quality, land stewardship, and environmental sustainability.
Examples may include:
- climate policy
- emissions reduction
- green space protection
- biodiversity
- environmental conservation
- ecological resilience
Resource Use
How decisions affect infrastructure, transit systems, utilities, land use, energy, water, waste, and long-term resource management.
Examples may include:
- transit infrastructure
- utilities
- land use planning
- water systems
- waste management
- infrastructure investment
Governance
How decisions affect transparency, accountability, representation, ethics, public trust, and institutional decision-making.
Examples may include:
- ethics policies
- accountability measures
- transparency rules
- public oversight
- governance reform
- procedural governance decisions
Why only one domain?
Many council decisions affect multiple areas of city life.
For consistency and transparency, each reviewed council item is assigned one primary civic domain based on its dominant direct impact.
This does not mean a decision affects only one area. It means the system applies a consistent classification process to identify the strongest primary relationship for scoring and comparison purposes.
Consistency and explainability are prioritized over subjective interpretation.
Independence & Transparency
Calgary Council Values is an independent civic visualization project.
We are not affiliated with Sustainable Calgary, any political party, campaign, elected official, or advocacy organization.
The domain structure used here is an original adaptation designed specifically for transparent civic analysis and public accountability visualization.