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Classroom example O2 Planning and Design

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The question

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How it works

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Who does this work

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Ways in

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For you

About O2 Planning and Design

For you

Sources

How can a park help clean stormwater before it reaches a river?

O2 Planning and Design · Calgary studio; the featured project is Dale Hodges Park in Calgary.

Graphic-novel illustration. Fictional landscape designer tracing a stormwater route on a plan beside a wetland boardwalk.

Where it fits

Pick your class
  • Biology 20 · Water, habitat and ecosystem relationships

How it works

Schematic · not to scale

Follow stormwater through a landscape

Conceptual teaching illustration for How can a park help clean stormwater before it reaches a river? Four numbered stages and arrows correspond to the explanation below.

  1. Runoff enters from streets and drains.

  2. Slower flow allows some suspended particles to settle.

  3. Water moves through a planted marsh.

  4. The downstream river and habitat remain part of the system.

A conceptual route, not an engineering plan. Clearer water can still contain dissolved substances; no drinking-water quality is implied.

The lesson, in the real world

A park can be part of a city’s water system.

  1. 1

    Runoff carries water and suspended material from streets into drainage systems.

    Our explanation
  2. 2

    At Dale Hodges Park, water follows a designed route through a landscape rather than remaining hidden in pipes.

    Our explanation
  3. 3

    Slower flow can allow some suspended particles to settle. Different treatment stages address different parts of the problem.

    Our explanation
  4. 4

    The landscape also supports habitat and recreation. A useful design must account for these needs together.

    Our explanation
Source: O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 1(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 2(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 3(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 4(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 5(opens in a new tab); Alberta Biology 20–30 program: water use and ecosystems(opens in a new tab)

Who does this work

All roles in this example

Role

Spatial data and mapping

Turn measurements tied to places into usable spatial information. The work involves coordinates, scale and checking that datasets describe the same location and time.

O2’s mapping page describes GIS and visualization services.General explanation, written by usSource: O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 1(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 2(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 3(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 4(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 5(opens in a new tab)

What might you actually do?

  • Investigate

    Check coordinate systems and measurement dates.

  • Test and compare

    Align and inspect spatial datasets.

  • Explain and improve

    Present maps or models with their limitations.

Typical of this kind of work in general. Not a description of any one person’s job at O2 Planning and Design.

Often works with
Surveyors, engineers, field operators and software teams
Classroom connection
Models can be detailed while still containing gaps or misaligned measurements.

Related job postings

Similar work at other employers in Calgary, AB, not openings at O2 Planning and Design. These are live searches: results change daily and we have not checked them.

How to prepare

  • Geomatics Engineering Technology

    SAIT

See all pathways

Ways in

For your students

Ways to prepare for this work

Programs that teach skills this work uses. Each is one route in, not a requirement, and no program has endorsed this page.

Showing routes for spatial data and mapping. Show all

  • SAITDiplomaCalgary

    Geomatics Engineering Technology

    Learn surveying, GIS, positioning and remote sensing.

    About this route

    Check the provider’s current prerequisites and intake availability. This is a related learning route, not a hiring promise or an employer requirement.

    Official program page(opens in a new tab)

    Why it connects to the work · our interpretation

    Spatial data and mapping

    Supports spatial measurement and mapping data work. Models can be detailed while still containing gaps or misaligned measurements.

Ask the class

Use it in class

Ask the class

Would the clearest-looking water necessarily be the safest water?

Draw two fictional routes from a street drain to a river: one short and fast, one with space for settling. Mark where to sample and one habitat trade-off.

Mindset it shows

Clear water can still contain dissolved contaminants. This is a planning model, not a drinking-water treatment demonstration.

About O2 Planning and Design

A park can be part of a city’s water system.

Headquarters
Headquarters not separately verified for this example.
Team size
Not verified. We have not found a dated, sourced figure.
The problem
How can a park help clean stormwater before it reaches a river?
Source: O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 1(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 2(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 3(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 4(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 5(opens in a new tab)
What they do
Landscape architecture, planning and spatial analysis, including stormwater landscapes.
Source: O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 1(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 2(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 3(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 4(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 5(opens in a new tab)
Who uses it
Municipal project teams and the people who use parks and nearby waterways.
Source: O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 1(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 2(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 3(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 4(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 5(opens in a new tab)

O2 is a planning and design practice with a Calgary studio. At Dale Hodges Park, it worked with other specialists to combine stormwater treatment, habitat and public space. Its project account describes marshes, wet meadows and landforms that guide water before it reaches the Bow River. This was collaborative work; O2 did not design every element alone.

Source: O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 1(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 2(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 3(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 4(opens in a new tab); O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 5(opens in a new tab)
Company website(opens in a new tab)Careers page(opens in a new tab)
Who does this work

Read each source’s date and scope: a documented role is not proof of a current vacancy or of where every position is based.

Reported as O2 Planning and Design states it. O2 Planning and Design has not reviewed or endorsed this page.

Sources and course fit

Sources checked 17 Oct 2026

Where it fits

  • Biology 20 · Water, habitat and ecosystem relationships

Editorial mapping to published CBE course topics. Pending educator review. No outcome-code alignment is claimed.

Organization claims are reported as the organization states them. O2 Planning and Design has not reviewed or endorsed this page.

What we know, and how
TypeClaimHow we know
workO2 is a planning and design practice with a Calgary studio. At Dale Hodges Park, it worked with other specialists to combine stormwater treatment, habitat and public space. Its project account describes marshes, wet meadows and landforms that guide water before it reaches the Bow River. This was collaborative work; O2 did not design every element alone.Source: O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 1; O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 2; O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 3; O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 4; O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 5Source-backed company/project account
local connectionCalgary studio; the featured project is Dale Hodges Park in Calgary.Source: O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 1; O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 2; O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 3; O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 4; O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 5Source-backed local work
course fitBiology 20 B1.3k relates biotic and abiotic factors in aquatic ecosystems. Use the park to compare habitat and water conditions; treatment performance needs measurements.Source: Alberta Biology 20–30 program: water use and ecosystemsEditorial application of verified curriculum topics
limitsNo measured removal percentage is claimed. Preserve partner attribution and distinguish suspended particles from dissolved substances.Source: O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 1; O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 2; O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 3; O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 4; O2 Planning and Design — company/project evidence 5Scope of this example

Solid green: the organization states it. Outlined: seen in a dated source. Dashed: our interpretation, not yet researched, or announced but not yet real.