Edmonton is the capital city of Alberta and, with its neighbouring communities, encompasses
the sixth largest metropolitan region in Canada with a population of 1,034,945 (2006 Census).
Similar to other major Canadian cities, Edmonton is experiencing strong growth combined with
a trend towards further suburbanization, which is affecting travel patterns across the city by
increasing both car usage and trip distance. Recent Statistics Canada data shows that 77% of
Edmonton’s daily trips are made by automobile. On a typical day there are 625,000 commuter
trips made in Edmonton, with the average daily commute time slightly exceeding one hour.
Over the next 30 years, the City of Edmonton’s population is expected to exceed one million
people, while the CMA is expected to exceed a population of 1.6 million. This growth will bring
about enormous levels of change and challenge as services are delivered to many new people,
businesses, and industries.
Over the course of 2009, the City of Edmonton’s Transportation Planning Branch completed a
number of initiatives that set the direction for Edmonton to become a sustainable, urban city.
Five key projects are introduced below, with detailed descriptions in terms of “Development and
Enhancement of Sustainable Urban Transportation”, “Degree of Innovation”, “Transferability to
other Canadian Communities and Organizations”, and “Added Value” provided for each on the
following pages. The electronic version of this submission can be used to link to referenced
documents and resources.
Taken together, these five projects clearly show that 2009 was a banner year for the City of
Edmonton’s Transportation Planning Branch, a year without comparison, and a year worthy of
being awarded the TAC Sustainable Urban Transportation Award. The commitment to
sustainable transportation that the branch was able to achieve is a bold step toward urban and
transportation sustainability for Edmonton – a step towards a future where Edmontonians will
have a comprehensive set of interconnected transportation options to get them to and from
home, work, entertainment, shops, and school.
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