EDMONTON: Changing the Way We Grow and the Way We Move

Edmonton is a city in transition. As we look to the future, we must chart a new course for the way we grow and the way we move. In 2009, new integrated land use and transportation strategic plans will be reviewed by Edmonton City Council to guide the city’s development into the future. The Municipal Development Plan, titled ‘The Way We Grow’, will guide Edmonton’s growth and development for the next 10 years. The Transportation Master Plan, titled ‘The Way We Move’, establishes a framework for how the City will address its future transportation needs. Through these plans, the City will integrate land-use planning and transportation decisions to create a more compact and efficient urban form. These plans encourage development around a network of high speed transit corridors, integrated with mixed land uses of increasing density to create areas of Transit Oriented Development (TOD). Once approved, the Plans will be implemented through more details plans, guidelines, programs and policies. Performance measures will also be developed to measure the progress of these plans. In the development of these plans and their initial stages of application several challenges were encountered and lessons have been learned in hindsight. These include: • Importance of a city vision and common direction • Influence of regional planning • Importance of aligning city strategic plans • Applying the integration of land use and transportation through the development of a transit and land-use integrated framework. • Allowing flexibility in design and application of TOD guidelines in order to address immediate demands yet provide for the evolution into more intense TOD. Through the integration of the City’s land use and transportation strategic plans and the consistent application of those plans, the City of Edmonton will continue to provide leadership in sustainable transportation practices and create the compact, liveable, and sustainable city of the future that is envisioned.