How Edmonton’s zoning renewal will impact neighbourhoods, new and old

Edmonton is planning a major zoning revamp that will affect the city going forward. Edmonton AM’s Mark Connolly and Tara McCarthy visited two neighbourhoods with urban design expert Kalen Anderson for a street-level look at how those changes might play out.
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[@EthanMarkWoodruff]

I’m really excited that despite all the conspiracy theories of 15 minute cities being prisons or whatever, we’re getting actually good zoning changes to promote a city that I actually want to stay in!

[@minorityfringe387]

Be careful what you wish for. Unfortunately, this is not conspiracy theory. Do your research!

[@sailorsoap]

It's not a conspiracy

[@lamborghiniperlini1710]

@@minorityfringe387 you got that monkeybrain huh

[@CnekYT]

​@@minorityfringe387"do your research" your research is listening to dudes with hidden agendas go unhinged for hours; your research isn't just invalid, but just is complete nonsense If you do ANY research you will see it is in fact 100% a conspiracy theory. Go to any small town's main street and you will see what 15-minute-cities actually are. I'd argue that your conspiracy theory more or less describes people who are against 15-minute-cities; as 15-minute-cities are how all cities were developed for all of human history until the governments messed around with the way cities were built.

[@CnekYT]

​@@minorityfringe387if you truly think that your conspiracy theories are true; then answer these questions to see if it holds up Why were nearly ALL cities built before 1948 a 15-minute-city; if the conspiracy theory was true, wouldn't all of them come after the UN was made and not before? Why do many cities have laws that are anti-15-minute-cities; wouldn't the government do the opposite if 15-minute-cities were to "control people" Why are the countries with the most freedom on Earth the ones that build the most 15-minute-cities? Canada and the US right now without 15MCs are about on par with countries like China, Russia, Egypt, South Africa, the UAE, and Cuba in terms of how car-centric they are; shouldn't we want to make so we're like other free countries and not be on the same level as Cuba?

[@user-bf7zr4gy8j]

What about public transit in these new areas? We need to create less car centric cities and provide reliable, convenient safe public transportation that everyone can use. Edmonton is doing better but we have a long way to go.

[@AlbertaGeek]

That's a good question. Just from what I'm seeing, it seems pretty bike-friendly, but if that area's bike trails don't connect to the larger trail network, or if the public transit routes don't connect to the the LRT, then that really needs to be addressed.

[@dorteweber3682]

the valley LRT goes through Bonnie Doon - if it ever opens

[@rnrtruestories]

@@dorteweber3682opening in a Month

[@heavensmountains323]

Fifteen minute cities.

[@CnekYT]

I think that's the fallacy with a lot of urbanist projects in the 21st century; I live in Calgary and there is tons of new mixed-use developments such as Trinity Hills, Seton and the Westman Village -- but all of those miss the mark due to having limited transit access

[@patrickquine3945]

This is really SO good. Medium density, mixed use neighbourhoods really are so much more liveable. And they create all kinds of small business opportunities. The more economically diverse an economy is, the better it can weather economic storms. Mixed use zoning really does contribute to this.

[@sailorsoap]

They can building a 20ft building over looking your yard and you can't complain

[@patrickquine3945]

@sailorsoap A 20ft building would be less than 2 stories. How would that overlook your yard ?

[@sailorsoap]

@@patrickquine3945 u get the point

[@charles-antoinedutil6591]

⁠​⁠@@sailorsoapSo what? Even when your neighbor lives in a detached single family house he can see your backyard. This is such a poor argument.

[@brasilgirl2848]

How about building a strip mall behind your home when it was supposed to be residential? Now we have a restaurant, which we were told would never be permitted due to the closeness to our home, right behind us and they don’t clean their cooking vents. We smell burnt spices and food when they are cooking and have to keep our windows closed. The strip mall is less than ten feet from the back lane and we have a fairly small lot, so it is very close. Think of fire safety if this restaurant starts a fire with that dirty vent? The city does not care if the vent is dirty, go to the odour bylaw they say. No one shows up to smell it, they just ignore the request. Typical city yeg. I fought this strip mall, but it is up to the consolers vote, not the citizens. Now we have about %50 vacant retail spaces within a five minute walk in the area. The city said we needed a strip mall because the shopping area that house two major food store did not have enough. So now most of that shopping is still empty after several years too. All so the developer could sell the land. Nothing else makes sense.

[@algonquin91]

It is really encouraging to see this type of urbanist movement being implemented across the country. Over the longterm this will go a long way in providing the lifestyle that attracts people to places like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver and hopefully even out the distribution of growth in the country. It isn't sustainable to expect (or encourage) every new immigrant and every new family that cannot afford a large single detached house to move to the same few places, only increasing their unaffordability. The Edmontons, Winnipegs, and Kitchener-Waterloos of Canada have much to offer and lots of potential for further urbanist development.

[@JJJohnson441]

People go to vancouver for the climate and fresh food. Where else could you get freshly caught seafood in Canada?

[@JJJohnson441]

People go to Toronto for the jobs.

[@JJJohnson441]

IDK why people go to Montreal or Quebec province unless they are french speaking.

[@Tony-og4oz]

​@@JJJohnson441New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and P.E.I

[@algonquin91]

@@JJJohnson441 Atlantic Canada? Anyways, that seems like an improbable reason for people to move to a place they cannot afford.

[@pipe2devnull]

This has got me thinking what commercial endeavour the ground level unit below mine could be turned into.

[@AmandaHugandKiss411]

Nobody can afford to rent or buy in the first area shown. Its high end land.

[@shelleyfortier3094]

15 minutes city

[@pm9716]

I wonder if everything is within fifteen minutes??

[@AH-lw2bj]

The cheapest place i found on their website was a 1,000 sq.ft townehome for $310,000 , which isnt that bad but the majority of that development the homes are all $500,000+ which is still unaffordable to most Canadians trying to get into the housing market

[@brandonmackenzie1203]

You can't build new, affordable housing unless it is subsidized, simply because of the cost of materials/labor and because being new means more demand. It is important that this housing get built now even if it is relatively unaffordable so that in the future it becomes "old"/"used" housing that is cheaper and affordable. By not building sufficient new housing for decades we have caused the price of housing to increase by huge amounts throughout Canada, so we have some catching up to do in terms of housing construction.

[@AmandaHugandKiss411]

I live in Edmonton, I couldn't rent or buy there and I make $68,000 / year

[@MrPlusses]

Some of the properties are for current Edmontonians but most are for new arrivals to the area. These developments are to segregate for those willing to live in a higher density. As she said, " you'd never be able to to do this in existing neighborhoods. New, special zoning was required." Side Note: I want to see what that neighborhood looks like in the dead of winter.

[@AmandaHugandKiss411]

@KaleighCee yes 1 late teen plus I am 53 and I say I can't afford to rent a town house or larger condo type apartments because, I can't pay that high of rent, help my child with post secondary and save for retirement. I am a single mom who lost all my equity on my divorce years ago. I also have large medical bills.

[@AmandaHugandKiss411]

@MrPlusses its being designed for Toronto and other cities who are used to paying ridiculous rent. These areas will have cheaper rents then Toronto etc but will be out of range for most people already living in Edmonton. They did this to Calgary in the late 1990s early 2000s. What the video does not show is Edmonton has a number of super-highrise condo/business buildings right downtown that remain vacant because nobody can afford to live there pre covid never mind now. Edmonton has the worst city planners who have wasted far too much money on useless projects instead of practical solutions.

[@stickynorth]

Cities are always fluid and dynamic. Expecting cities to be the same over time is both unrealistic and elitist...

[@jumbolarge108]

We need this in Calgary too!

[@maggiematheson4465]

How do you say 15 minute city without saying 15 minute city

[@Ryan-093]

having everything i need on a daily basis within a walking distance / short bus trip means i don't have to waste hours of my life sitting in traffic and sinking 10s of thousands into car expenses every year. good walkable city and public transit frees me from the enslavement known as auto loans and car maintenance. have fun wasting years of your life sitting in traffic tho.

[@getpaul]

What a great step for Edmonton! Loosening restrictions and making it easier for home businesses. Mixed use neighborhoods is absolutely essential for livability. I would love to have a coffeeshop/restaurant or groceries in walking distance without having to live downtown.

[@robindaniels2987]

What a gorgeous area!!

[@sukhWins]

I hope manitoba also gets the same bylaws

[@brasilgirl2848]

This sounds like a waste of tax payers money. If this new zoning applies to your property, will your property taxes increase?

[@peterjones-sr5do]

My honest opinion it resembles a correctional facility

[@zigzag00]

This is great to see! Hopefully we have more people moving to Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, Quebec City, Winnipeg, Waterloo, and Hamilton etc...! Each one of those cities are improving their urban environments and adding/improving their respective LRT systems for improved transportation (excluding Winnipeg as they will implement a BRT system) so hopefully people notice more affordable alternatives from the popular cities that are Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver here in Canada :)

[@justauser]

Don't be fooled Winnipeg is riddled with ridiculous bylaws. Even tho my house is zoned for a duplex, I can't build one due to lot area requirements, parking minimums and a slew of other nonsense. Meanwhile, Duplexes built on single family lots much smaller with no parking 100 years ago are A-OK

[@robindaniels2987]

What a gorgeous area!! A lot of thought going into this area. Love it!!!

[@sunnyskies242]

Wonder where this lady lives? On her large property outside the city?

[@sadee1287]

For all the pluses that these kinds of neighbourhoods claim, there are multiple drawbacks that are either not acknowledged or glossed over. Tightly spaced homes are a fire hazard. If one house is affected the others are too because of their close proximity. Add to the fact that they are not clad with fire resistant materials like composite, but instead utilize vinyl which is incredibly flammable. I'm constantly amazed that this is in any way meeting fire code. As well, the lack of parking space in front of homes means visitors to these houses have nowhere to park. Narrow streets mean stricture of vehicle movement. Will this be another instance of cars getting ticketed for parking on the street until homeowners can clear their driveways like in Ottawa? I surely hope not. I'm all for mixed housing, but this trend of limited lot size and increased density is not a net benefit overall into the future.

[@theresalabossiere139]

What about privacy! The same look !

[@sadee1287]

With postage stamp sized lots -- there is no such thing as privacy. Or quiet if your neighbours like to party.

[@MrAlen6e]

Its really hopefully seeing even Alberta cities turning away from the horrible American suburbia style that has destroy and bankrupt North American cities. The entire world understands you need a variety in housing and mix retail to support a lively community for everyone. Missing middle housing is the housing for the middle class and thats what Canada should be promoting for not just families, seniors looking to downsize and newcomers families who want to integrate to a community.

[@ibrahimm2012]

Those houses are 500 k + interest

[@whatthepick]

Let's go Tokyo on it reduce the code allow new buildings and make them last 30 years not forever to allow new housing types to adapt to changing conditions. Reference video Japan's Unconventional Solution to the Housing Crisis (Explained with Dom)

[@MrAlen6e]

For that approach to work provinces need to take out zoning out of the municipalities entirely, and the feds need to update the Canada housing code.

[@whatthepick]

@@MrAlen6e Agree, we would also need to look at changing the tax code and distributions of revenue, it would still be beneficial in the long run though as it focused on the development from a regional perspective instead of the current NIMBY system we have now.

[@sadee1287]

Are you insane? Housing that only lasts thirty years? I've lived in my house for 38. What kind of people can afford to rebuild their house every third decade? We're not Japan. And your suggestion is crazy.

[@whatthepick]

​@@sadee1287Give that video a watch it makes sense

[@Shifty1940]

Rear Window

[@jebbo-c1l]

this looks like a greta place to live

[@chrthewrestler2301]

build up not outward.

[@johndefalque5061]

Edmonton seems a lot more liberal and less conservative bible belt than Calgary. I tried multiple times to live in and around Calgary but the rent always kept me in Lethbridge for a decade. I live in Quebec City now, hate downtown-only great for smokers who are social, not loners who hate smokers like me, prefer suburbs of QC. Too much density can be aggravating too.

[@gracedagostino5231]

Agree, can’t stand all these people who love density so much. Love the suburbs with my own car, driveway, garage, house, and backyard.

[@johndefalque5061]

The suburbs of QC are fairly dense-3 floors high but the bldgs don't touch each other. To get me to live downtown, I need a non-smoking bldg. I can't even get that anywhere.@@gracedagostino5231

[@minorityfringe387]

Really???? Having lived in both cities, I feel Edmonton is more conservative than Calgary.

[@minorityfringe387]

Me too. Density is not good living. We have a lot of space in this country and don't need to be stacked up in pods. It's all about greed and control. You'll own nothing and be happy living in your pod, eating the bugs and riding your e-scooter in -30 degree Edmonton weather. @@gracedagostino5231

[@zaspalia]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@gracedagostino5231Why not have both? I prefer denser places filled with people but I get people who feel the opposite.

[@dianehardy9136]

Zoning bylaw because of the 15 minute city??

[@jeanbolduc5818]

USA car culture

[@emrahtestere5372]

If Alberta can export IT , technology,autos,semiconductors etc...in large scale everybody can be happy in the long term. But for now ,it seems like a real estate frenzy. Build homes for just building homes , an economy based on real estate. Canada lost its innovative edge and I believe it has no future.

[@steveharrigan7811]

Importing hundreds of thousands of semi-illiterate people who will never work a day in their lives, who hate us and our religion, is probably not the best idea.....It definitely will not help with Canada's "innovative edge".........

[@sukhWins]

You are right Economy is based on real estate and student migration

[@andrecayer4489]

Ooooo density. So much prairie and we need to stack people

[@Tossdart]

I have no opinion as disclaimer but perhaps some feel immigrating more multimillionaires to take up lots & housing should help those students that have 6 year degrees that are themselves & companions working in fast foods since two are needed to buy bread. Anyone?

[@andrewkwasek1214]

CBC is taxpayer funded and should have all of its comments open so the people who pay its bills can comment on what they are paying for. Stop disabling comments and allow people to talk about the product you are supplying them with.

[@Passque666]

This changes having boomer, millennial homeowners mad but it’s for the general public & affordability. We need more triplexes or more!

[@sailorsoap]

We don't.

[@Passque666]

@@sailorsoap we do.

[@sailorsoap]

@@Passque666 we don't.

[@Passque666]

@@sailorsoap we do.

[@sailorsoap]

@@Passque666 we don't.

[@nicklightyear4948]

What a load of bull propaganda. No drawbacks? Liars.

[@Daniel-tl2ln]

What they say about weather? How they will change it so Edmonton becomes more liveable

[@sailorsoap]

Terrible

[@lloydmunga4961]

15 minute cities and prisons are only 14 minutes apart

[@GarryGiesbrechtphotos]

commist broadcast corp

[@wallymcguire2033]

Wow, a CBC news video with comments enabled. How rare. Cowards.

[@minorityfringe387]

Lol...so true. 🤣

[@mattwoody1089]

The lady seemed so nervous telling the story shes afraid of the big developers

[@acepath3001]

Let people build without the buracrsy

[@dannymukendi6586]

Finally 🎉🎉 Edmonton is no longer a weird city stuck in the 80s !!! It is time to have mixed used properties around Downtown Edmonton!!! Hope our city can be the next Vancouver 😅

[@sailorsoap]

We don't need to be the next Vancouver

[@Koolguy1986]

Terrible 😂

[@CharlesReece-nr2wr]

Creating ghettos....well done yet again Albertabama...

[@louvreloveru]

Bam a lam. 🎶

[@lindo110]

Look at all the people walking around living the dream. 😂😂

[@othaVada]

Just a future slum.

[@Tundra71]

Absolutely agree.