ColinGallant
TAKING TO THE STREETS
By Colin Gallant
New street design standards approved this summer
In June, Natalie Lazurko, the city’s director of transportation planning and design, told Taproot about the city’s plans to update its complete streets policy. The changes will apply to new and existing streets, and include more mandatory traffic calming measures and shared-use pathways for some collector roads that connect arterial roadways with quieter streets. City council’s urban planning committee unanimously approved the changes in June. Edmonton was the first city in Canada to adopt the Vision Zero program, in 2015, and Lazurko said she hopes the complete streets updates can put the Vision Zero Street Labs team out of business.
New downtown pedway due in 2026
Construction of another pedway in downtown Edmonton, this one to connect the Royal Alberta Museum, the Churchill LRT station, and the Station Lands development along 103A Avenue with the larger pedway network, began in March 2024. The project is expected to finish by the end of 2026. The project’s current budget is just more than $42 million, according to a posted sign, which also includes streetscape improvements along 99 Street. Its original budget was $26.5 million.
Is this an investment in walkability? Pedways may offer climate-controlled environs for people on their feet, but whether they add to walkability, in the sense of being inviting, safe, or navigable, is up for debate. Pedways take people off the street, diminishing that street’s overall vibrancy. The pedway at the Alberta Legislature was closed from October 2023 to May 2024 due to the number of security incidents that happened within it. As for the downtown pedway network, which is a hybrid of municipal and private ownership, the city is launching the Pedway Unique Identifier Program, which gives first responders a more precise location when responding to calls for assistance by pedway users.
Streets for people
The city has established two entertainment districts in downtown Edmonton that see it close street segments to vehicles on select days (usually Saturdays) and open these spaces up to pedestrians. The first, on Rice Howard Way, launched in summer 2024. The other began this past summer along 104 Street, and is open in conjunction with the Downtown Farmers’ Market. The Edmonton Downtown Business Association oversees both districts on behalf of the city. Taproot reported in June that business owners on the 78 Avenue portion of Happy Beer Street (between 99 Street and 100 Street) are working with the city to explore their own car-free entertainment district. Ward papastew Coun. Michael Janz, whose jurisdiction includes this stretch, said he’d like to see other entertainment districts close to Whyte Avenue, too.
Neighbourhood renewal
The City of Edmonton has operated its neighbourhood renewal program since 1987. The program sees the city assess one quarter of city streets (and curbs and sidewalks) each year to determine which neighbourhoods need repairs, improvements, and preventative maintenance the most. Part of the goal is to make sidewalks more usable for pedestrians, or in some cases, add them where they were previously missing. Residents can check for updates on when their neighbourhoods are up for renewal on the relevant city webpage.
Great policies but middling action?
On Episode 324 of Speaking Municipally, Taproot’s civic affairs podcast, co-hosts Stephanie Swensrude and Mack Male discussed closures to streets due to construction that have recently frustrated west-end drivers. During this, Male offered the lesser-discussed point — that construction disruptions often put pedestrians out far more than they do drivers, and that Edmonton continues to lag on this walkability point versus other cities. “Lots of other cities do construction and maintain access,” he said. “And this is a bigger problem: I find, for pedestrians (there are more closures) than … for cars actually, right? But you can do work without closing sidewalks, and in Edmonton, we just always close sidewalks.”
Edmonton’s City Plan explicitly points to its intention to move Edmonton towards being a city where 50% of all trips are made without private vehicles, including walking.
A BEYOND THE LAWN campaign has recently launched to spread the message about replacing lawns with native plants, edible gardens, and pollinator-friendly plants. A number of organizations have joined in to help the BEYOND THE LAWN project and the public who are thinking of making the switch.
PUNCHCARD, an Edmonton Tech company has just lauched a new app CHECK THE LABEL to help consumers get information on products they are thinking of purchasing. They can find out if the product they are considering is Made in Canada, Product of Canada, Assembled in Canada, or Imported by Canada. The app was developed in part by the recent tariff threat and to encourage people to buy local and support our economy. The app is available for both Android and iOS.
Its well known that the Blatchford development on the former city airport site has received both some praise and much criticism in its 10+ years of tenure. The initial vision was for it to lead an energy-focused re-development which to date has not been successful using standard building metrics. There have been fewer residences built and those that have cost more than comparable residences in other parts of the city.
Blatchford has been a costly project not just for builders and residents. The city says they have invested at least $167 million thus far, though Councellor Tim Cartmell suggests the amount is closer to $232 million.
Last April Mayor Amarjeet Sohi suggested Blatchford was “not a huge success." Councellor Anne Stevenson says Blatchford hit several milestones in 2024 which were an “inflection point” to judge the project’s success.
The city initially marked 2042 as when it expects Blatchford to house 30,000 residents within its 536 acres. From where we are today it may be too early to label Blatchford as a blight or a late bloomerr for Edmonton.
When Ryan Young became the new Director of the Social Enterprise Fund in October he made it his mission to find new ways for one of the largest social funds in Canada to maximize benefits for Edmontonions. He wants identify the top issues that will create the biggest impact in Edmonton.
The Social Enterprise Fund was created in 2008 by the Edmonton Community Foundation in collaboration with the City of Edmonton. Rather than grants the Fund invests through loans with interest rates between one and three points above bank prime rates. The Fund has invested in excess of $90 million into more than 110 projects since its founding.
If you know of a project that may benefit from the Social Enterprise Fund bring it to their attention.
I think Blatchford was largely driven by a council who bought into a "climate change, green agenda." They may well have thought they were leading the way but the fact that few are yet following calls that into question.