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Since last checking in on the development of the new City Plan, SkyriseEdmonton got a chance to catch up with Kalen Anderson, Director of the City Plan, to get the inside scoop as the project enters its fourth phase: "Building Up."
The City Plan is set to become Edmonton's new Municipal Development Plan, the top-level planning document that guides the future development of the city. But rather than attempting to predict future growth like previous plans, the new City Plan charts the growth of the city from a population of one million to two million residents, without adhering to a specific time frame, while also attempting to remain resilient in the face of unknown future technological and economic disruptions.
Asked what some of the biggest surprises in the new plan might be, Anderson indicated that the plan calls for spreading growth around more of the city than before. This will include building up more main streets and town centres (referred to as "nodes and corridors") throughout the city, allowing residents to "live more locally" with more amenities, shopping, and employment opportunities closer to home.
These goals tie well into one of the common themes heard during the public engagement sessions. Namely, Edmontonians want more opportunities to connect, both in terms of having more options to traverse the city, and more spaces to meet one another around food, art, parks, and green spaces.
Part of the plan also calls for naturalization of public utility and pipeline rights-of-way to not only provide more green spaces across the city, but also to further connect more communities through active transportation while also providing important corridors for the movement of wildlife. Anderson stressed the importance of this part of the plan for residents in the north side, which has fewer ravines which naturally provide such connections in other parts of the city.
What are some of the successes that have occurred under the current or previous plans? "It's a triumph that we've held onto the river valley for over a hundred years," said Anderson, reminding us that residents and city planners have had opportunities to shift their vision for the valley, but have overwhelmingly restricted development within it since the city's humble beginnings to to the present.
Also, current planning and construction for the Warehouse District Park downtown, the Armature in the Quarters, and the current infrastructure upgrades that are the cause of many disrupted sidewalks and commutes today, are really "an amazing gift to the future," says Anderson, reminding us how the city's original LRT line is a critical and irreplaceable part of Edmonton that was planned and built in the late 1970s.
According to Anderson, the most exciting part of the new plan "is really seeing all the different ideas and aspirations for how we can support ourselves, the economy, consider things like climate change, new mobility technology, seeing it all come together in one place. There were lots of great ideas out there, but they were separate."
"We get to take a step back, almost return to our roots," continues Anderson. "Cities are some of the most complex things that exist in the world. We don't know who we're currently building the city for; people are coming in from around the world, it will be exciting to see how our urban environment evolves with that international context."
The new City Plan is expected to return to the Council's Urban Planning Committee in March of 2020, and then to Public Hearing for approval later that year. More details about the plan can be found at the City of Edmonton website.
SkyriseEdmonton will continue to follow the progress of the City Plan. What excites you about the forthcoming City Plan? Leave a comment below, or join the conversation in our discussion forum.
