Let’s Think, Plan And Build For A Million People
In just a few short years Edmonton will be home to 1 million people, cementing our place as one of Canada’s big cities. Edmontonians aren’t used to thinking about their city in this way, but our rapid growth – coupled with being one of the youngest cities in Canada – is putting pressure on our city to adapt and change in new ways.
Anyone who’s spent time in our city over the last few years knows what this change feels like. We’re spending more time in traffic than ever before, our house prices have been steadily climbing and our downtown is alive with activity – both with new construction cranes and people living and working closer to the core. How we respond to these pressures will very much determine Edmonton’s trajectory.
In order to retain the top talent who will drive our city’s growth, and to keep our city moving, we must commit to a series of critical decisions that will help us meet our big city challenges head-on. These include:
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- Building more affordable infill – I will push for more affordable infill housing for young families and seniors in communities where it makes the most sense, including along major transit routes in mature neighbourhoods and near significant employment centres. This is the so-called ‘missing middle’, and it includes townhomes and apartments that are close to amenities like schools, neighbourhood stores and transit. I am committed to addressing the zoning and pricing challenges that come with building this kind of critical housing.
- Aggressively build our LRT with the long-term funding I secured from Ottawa and with provincial funds that will match what Calgary recently received. Building the West Line is Council’s next priority, which I fully support, and I will push for moving the LRT above or below traffic at key intersections to keep Edmontonians moving. We also need to plan and build mass transit in the northwest and further south, perhaps with rail, perhaps with bus rapid transit – depending on funding..
- Delivering a big-city public transit system that serves people more efficiently – This means changes to today’s bus routes for a more efficient transit system that supports the busiest routes and connects to the LRT as its backbone. This will mean increased productivity, reducing traffic congestion, stimulating our economy and achieving our ambitious environmental goals.
- Putting people first in urban design – I will push to widen sidewalks, narrow traffic lanes in key pedestrian areas and improve intersection design for people, not just cars. I’ll also continue advocating for expanding our bike lane network to give more people the safety and the confidence to choose cycling, lower speed limits in more areas where we know pedestrians will be clustered, and increasing signal timing so seniors and those with mobility challenges can cross safely.
- Develop a new approach to prioritizing and building interchanges and on-ramps in new communities to ensure suburban residents have greater certainty over when new links will be built and that we have a plan to cover the huge costs of these roadways.
In the past four years we have done a lot of work to improve the lives of commuters. We secured funding for the Valley Line LRT, and to upgrade Yellowhead Trail. We repaved hundreds of kilometers of roads, and renewed sidewalks and roads and pipes in dozens of neighbourhoods. We reduced the number of potholes and increased the number of crosswalks. And yet, in spite of all of our efforts, traffic congestion will worsen as our growth continues, as it always does, in every city.
I recognize that change can sometimes be difficult and there is a spirited debate around much of the points above. But we need to work together to ensure our city is prepared for the future, and ready to handle a million + residents.
For me, this isn’t a car vs. train vs. bike debate. It’s about recognizing that we are a big city that keeps getting bigger – and that we need to build and think like a big city. Big cities plan for the next generation and the generation after that, and they thrive because they have vibrant neighbourhoods and have done the work to keep residents moving as efficiently as possible.
We should expect nothing less for Edmonton.
“If we are going to bring more people into our core neighbourhoods, and make our city more sustainable, we need to make it easier to build a variety of housing types for families of all sizes and incomes. Don will champion the changes needed to make infill more affordable for buyers and more attractive for builders.”
– Mick Graham, President, Singletree Builders
“The quality of life in our communities depends on making it safer and more enjoyable for people to use our streets and sidewalks. Don will push for ‘people-centred planning’ that protects vulnerable road users like seniors, children and cyclists so we can grow a better Edmonton for all people.”
– Julie Kusiek, Chair of QA Crossroads and Co-Lead of Engage 106-76
“If we want to attract and keep the best young talent, and if we want to manage our growth responsibly, we have to shift our thinking to a big city mentality. That means giving people more options when it comes to choosing where they live and how they commute. Don’s leadership on better transit will enable that choice.”
– Doug McConnell, Principal, DIALOG
7 thoughts on “Let’s Think, Plan And Build For A Million People”
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You, Don Iveson, secured long term funding for LRT all on your own for our City? Your point 2 uses the word “I”. Hmmmm, I believe Amarjeet Sohi was very instrumental in securing this funding for our City, How will you address affordable infill housing? Residents do not seem very happy with the tall thin walls going up beside their properties,
The infill housing in our neighborhood is a disaster and shows zero respect for existing residents. Skinny houses destroy the character of our older communities and create excess noise, traffic, and parking problems. This mayor has embraced this destructive activity. I am sickened….
I look at the lrt master plan, and all I see is duplication of lrt lines. Why not make it simple like a wagon wheel. There would be a central hub where people can switch trains to the area they need. Plus the way the city is expanding, it also make sense to have a lrt ring line that could mirror the Anthony Henday.
My wife and I prefer to take the LRT system over driving as it is easier (and often faster) than finding parking downtown. We also find it less stressful, especially when riding with our young son. Our main issue with the current (NAIT-metro) line is around timing. The trains don’t come often enough so if you miss one you can often be left waiting for 20 to 25 minutes. I understand that we’re still in the development stage and that the frequency will pick up but transit is a hard sell for more people who think car-first, and we need to find ways to incentivize use. Two ways of doing that: (1) increase rate at which trains run and (2) offer free or reduced costs use on holidays that draw large crowds (e.g. Canada Day, Remembrance Day). If parking is made more difficult (e.g. automated parking security) and transit is made more attractive, we’ll (hopefully) have first-time riders experience the ease of transit, which in turn will make them more likely to take transit in the future.
I’m in support of your vision for the future of Edmonton and hope you have the opportunity to continue building towards a more pedestrian/bike friendly city!
p.s. infills are great and bring young families into older neighborhoods. They are often priced too high for many families and that needs to be dealt with but many people in our neighborhood (Prince Rupert) are in support of skinny builds.
Hi Mr Iveson,
What is your opinion on the street level LRT on Whyte Avenue?
I believe that more edmontonians should be able to have an input into that discussion, not only the residents of that neighbourhood, since Whyte avenue is used by a lot of people.
I understand that street level LRT is planned for connecting Health Sciences (University) and Bonnie Doon, either on Whyte Avenue or Unuversity Avenue.
Do you support street level LRT on either of these routes?
Hey Don,
I love your ambition and vision for our city and you will definitely be getting my vote. I recently moved to Ritchie from the West end and I was able to go car-less because of the public transit our city presently has, so it’s exciting to think that going car-less could get even easier.
I was wondering if it would be at all possible to incorporate an LRT stop on Whyte Ave into the prospective festival/energy line plans. It would be nice to take the train directly to Whyte instead of having to bus from University or Bonnie Doone stations.
Thanks for your valuable time and consideration!
I feel that we live in a place, where houses are built for a single generation, so that when the buildings get old, we replace them with something that suits the times. And the times have come for Edmonton to become a metropolis. We’re going through a large change. Some people will be upset. I definitely feel for the ones that live in houses that they grew up in, in neighborhoods they’ve lived in their entire lives, and they’ve grown old in them, and now their old world gets destroyed. The people that moved into those mature neighborhoods 50-70 years ago, were moving into Edmonton’s suburbs at the time. Suburbs are in a totally different place today, and I think that if you want that feel for home, you will have to move. Edmonton has one of the lowest population densities in Canada, when comparing it to other major cities. One of the reasons why it feels like edmonton transit is so underutilized. By serving a greater population density, each bus or train serves more people per bus route. Yes the parking is going to become an issue. But imagine that now you will not need a car if you want to live closer to the core.
Not many people are going to buy a crappy old bungalow, for $400,000 in Allendale, and live in it. You are only paying what the land is worth. A house being sold for that price, is good for destruction… if not right now, then in a few years. For that price, you can get yourself a brand new house in the suburbs, where the land is significantly cheaper, and you can get a much better bang for your buck. To build a 2,200 sq/ft home, it will cost a builder around $275,000. So we are already at an expense of close to $700,000 plus builder profit…. final value of a 2,200 sqft home in Allendale… $850,000?
Why would I spend that when I can get also a brand new house of the same size, in Rutherford for $550,000?
What I’m trying to show, is that people should be happy that infill is happening in their neighborhoods, because that greatly raises value of their land. If you buy a 50×120 lot, and split it in half, you’re able to build a nice new house, close to downtown or the University, but being able to keep the price of that house relatively competitive with the suburbs. Infill is needed in Edmonton. Some people will have to get used to changes as they are unavoidable. Canada had 30 million people in 2000. Today, we’re at 38 million. People need to live somewhere, and changes will have to affect us all. You don’t want changes, go live on an uninhabited island or a farm. To those that complain about infil: The land you live on in your mature neighborhood is worth a lot more because infill is popular. So be happy. And feel rich. I’ll overlook your parking concerns this election, because you’re living in a big city now. The moment infill is forbidden, the real estate market in the mature neighborhoods will be in the toilet.
Thanks Don Iveson for the transformation that the city is going through. There are many others that need to be thanked to as well, but you can count on my vote. I like where the city is heading. I felt that Edmonton had been falling behind comparing to other cities with planning and entertainment until you became the mayor. Edmonton doesn’t have much to offer geographically (mountains, ocean, etc.) but If we make the city fun, we will be able to dip a lot more into the tourism market, and not rely only on oil and machining, in a world, where oil is increasingly losing its importance.