Cities cash in on cowboy culture

A calf roping competition during the Calgary Stampede at the GMC stadium in Calgary, Canada. Over a million visitors came to the annual rodeo show, which is filled with concerts, cattle and circus performers. — ©2024 The New York Times Company

IT seems like everyone’s embracing a bit of country charm these days: Western-themed fashion has surged in popularity, and country music is enjoying a revival not seen in decades.

“We call it the ‘Yellowstone effect’,” said Joel Cowley, CEO of the Calgary Stampede, one of the world’s largest rodeos.

“There’s a romanticism about the West and the cowboy that comes and goes, but I’m not sure in my lifetime that I’ve ever seen it as high as it is now.”

This surge in cowboy culture is opening up new economic opportunities for cities with a Western heritage, including Calgary, Denver, Houston and Kansas City.

At this year’s Calgary Stampede, 1.5 million people flocked to the city for the 10-day rodeo spectacle, complete with concerts, cattle shows, and circus performers. The event drew a record-breaking crowd, and city officials are now looking to extend that excitement throughout the year.

According to Kate Thompson, CEO of Calgary Municipal Land Co, the Canadian city is working to transform the Stampede grounds and surrounding areas into a year-round entertainment and cultural district, boosting growth and investment in its downtown area.

“We sometimes joke that we’re building an Olympic Village while hosting the Olympics,” said Thompson, referencing the challenge of redeveloping the area that has hosted fairs since 1886.

Once known as shipping points for livestock, cities like Calgary are now repurposing low-lying, flood-prone areas traditionally used for cattle into prime real estate developments.

These areas are following in the footsteps of Fort Worth, Texas, where the successful redevelopment of its stockyards has brought millions of visitors, along with sports events, entertainment, hotels, restaurants, and retail spaces.

In Calgary, the transformation spans approximately 120ha of fairgrounds and parking lots east of downtown.

The first phase has already delivered a new light-rail stop and US$100mil in infrastructure improvements.

The centrepiece, a US$500mil expansion of the BMO Centre arena, began hosting events this summer.

Future plans include the construction of thousands of residential units, venues for arts and opera, parks, youth centres, and the Stampede Trail, a commercial street designed to host festivals by closing off traffic.

A similar push for revitalisation is taking place across the United States.

In Denver, a US$1bil project is transforming 97ha of stockyards, where the National Western Stock Show is held, into an educational and entertainment hub.

In Houston, officials have announced plans to redevelop NRG Park, home of the city’s famous rodeo, with potential mixed-use projects on underutilised parking areas.

Kansas City, Missouri, is also part of this trend, with a US$350mil development for the American Royal Livestock Show, alongside a US$500mil investment in the West Bottoms neighbourhood.

Ian Ross, founder of Somera Road, the developer behind West Bottoms, envisions this historic cattle trade district becoming a vibrant, story-driven neighbourhood, akin to Brooklyn’s Dumbo area in New York City.

“The West Bottoms was where Kansas City was born, where the cattle trade began,” Ross said.

“People are seeking authentic neighbourhoods and are eager to help bring them back to life.”

The rise of cowboy culture coincides with population growth in many Western cities, making it more feasible to redevelop previously overlooked land.

Similar to New York City’s Meatpacking District and Chicago’s Fulton Market, these areas are being reinvented for new generations.

“The bottom line is cities are looking at underutilised land to accommodate population growth,” said Greg Kwong, executive vice president at CBRE, a real estate services firm.

“The fact that you have a Western or stockyard theme could even be coincidental.”

Big-city stockyards, once central to the livestock industry, fell into decline by the 1950s as refrigeration and logistics improved, allowing meat to be processed and packaged in one place.

But in their heyday, they were crucial in the development of cities like Denver and Calgary, particularly with the advent of railroads and refrigerated train cars.

Stock shows and agricultural fairs helped promote the industry, and many, such as the Calgary Stampede and National Western Stock Show, have kept the tradition alive as annual highlights.

“There’s real estate pressure,” said Brad Buchanan, CEO of the National Western Centre Authority in Denver.

“There’s an opportunity to add to the future of this place without losing what got us here in the first place.”

While many new developments pay homage to the past, such as incorporating wooden posts or steel beams from historic structures, they’re also focusing on the future.

At Denver’s National Western Centre, Colorado State University’s CSU Spur campus, completed in January 2023, centres on agriculture and sustainability, with funding secured through bonds passed to prevent the Stock Show from relocating to neighbouring Aurora.

Nearby, the historic Exchange Building, where traders once set cattle prices, is now being re-purposed as a hub for startups focused on water technology and food sustainability.

Andrew Feinstein, whose development firm was pivotal in revitalising Denver’s RiNo neighbourhood, sees the stockyards project as a unique opportunity.

“Denver is trying to hold on to its Western heritage and spirit while embracing modernity,” he said. “If we get things right at the National Western Campus, we’ll pull that off.”

However, these opportunities come with challenges. Many of the areas being redeveloped lack modern infrastructure, making construction difficult.

In Denver, for example, former mayor Michael Hancock noted that adding modern utilities and cleaning up environmental issues from the cattle industry created significant hurdles.

Local working-class and immigrant communities also fear that the new developments will push up rents and housing prices.

Neighbourhood groups, like the GES Coalition, have pushed for more community-focused projects, concerned that rising property values will displace long-time residents.

Feinstein acknowledged these concerns but believes that the investment in infrastructure will ultimately benefit both locals and the city as a whole.

As Western cities continue to ride the wave of cowboy culture’s resurgence, they face the challenge of balancing their historical identity with the pressures of modern development.

If done right, the rewards could be substantial, blending the old and new into thriving urban landscapes that attract both locals and visitors. — ©2024 The New York Times Company