Edmonton City Population: 880,000 Metro Population: 1.3 million Transit Mode Share: 9% (region) & 20% (urban core) Annual Transit Ridership: 83,000,000 (2012) LRT System Length: 15 miles, 2 lines &18 stations LRT Daily Boardings: 115,000
What we started with…
Vision
Blatchford Redevelopment Landowner/Developer: City of Edmonton Overall Plan: 500+ acres, 2 miles north of downtown 15,000 residential units 1,000,000 sf office space 300,000 sf retail 20-25 year build-out Stage 1: Construction began Aug 2015 16 acres ~400 townhouse and apartment units LRT Service: 1/2 mile walk from Stage 1
Districts Concept
Parks and Open Spaces
Parks and Open Spaces
Town Centre
Town Centre: NAIT LRT Station
East District: NAIT Campus Expansion
East District
West District
Transit and LRT
Land Use
Pedestrian and Bicycle Network
Standard Walkways
Custom Design: Blatchford Walkways
Standard Collector Roadway
Custom Design: Blatchford Active Streets
Custom Design: Stage One Concept
Custom Design: Stage One Concept
Custom Design: Stage One Concept
Custom Design: TOD and Active Living
New Street Types • Active and Quiet streets
replace traditional Collector and Local street classifications
• Dedicated cycling infrastructure
• Some blocks pedestrian-only
Parking Regulations • Reductions to reflect
pedestrian character and LRT service
• 30% reductions for • residential uses • 50% reduction for
commercial uses • Most parking underground
Custom Design: Active Green Community Urban Agriculture • Community gardens, greenhouses
and rainwater capture and reuse in park spaces
• Farmers markets and rooftop gardens permitted
Stormwater Management • Comprehensive approach to
stormwater management • Naturalized wetland, bioswales
and rain gardens part of first stage and throughout Blatchford
• Rainwater capture for urban agriculture purposes
Custom Zoning: Focus on Design • Highly urban built form • Townhouse and stacked townhouse,
low-rise and mid-rise mixed use • Strong focus on pedestrian oriented
character and building relationship to streets and public spaces
• Focus on safety, natural surveillance and animation of public and semi-public space
• Design direction for attractive architecture and diverse streetscapes
Custom Zoning: Innovative Built Forms Mixed Uses • Zones structured specifically with
mixed uses in mind • Intended for small-scale, local-
serving retail, restaurants and services
• No auto-oriented uses permitted
Suites in Townhouses • Garage or basement suites
permitted for fee simple townhouses
• Increases density and activates alleyways
• Affordable housing option and mortgage-helper for homeowners
Sustainability: District Energy Sharing System
Sustainability: Greenhouse Gas Reductions
Lessons Learned • Major urban sites such as
former airports are once in a generation opportunities for city-building.
• Custom design takes time and energy but is worth the effort to have form follow function and create a strong sense of place.
• Having high quality transit in place prior to development is a huge advantage for high density, multi-modal planning.