Smart Growth for a Sustainable City: Edmonton's Priority Growth Areas

There are some places where growth just makes sense.

That’s why in 2022, I moved that we advance work to proactively identify and upzone Edmonton’s "Priority Growth Areas" (PGAs). Earlier this week, City Council did just that, with City-led rezonings for over 1,200 properties in five areas that are already well-served by transit, infrastructure, and amenities.

This is about building more homes in the right places, areas with momentum, where the recipe for vibrant, walkable, sustainable communities is already in place. It is the fiscally and environmentally responsible move for a city growing as rapidly as Edmonton.

We're making room for the future, without sprawling out.

This forward-thinking action is one of the tools in our toolbox to implement Edmonton's City Plan by growing in and up within our existing communities, creating a strong system of Nodes (urban centres) and Corridors (main streets) that encourages transit-oriented development.

Building Up Our Nodes and Corridors

These PGAs identify where the City plans to encourage developments of higher concentrations of residential, commercial and employment growth.

Creating a strong system of nodes and corridors that encourages transit-oriented development is an important part of building a healthy, urban, climate-resilient city where Edmontonians have access to a variety of housing and transportation options and can easily meet their daily needs close to home.  

The City Plan identifies 27 Nodes and 38 Corridors. That’s a lot of ground to cover, and their development is intended to be phased over time in as we grow from 1 million Edmontonians to 2 million.

Priority Growth Areas are a way for us to "zooming in" on areas ripe for development right now. The City has identified five initial PGAs for proactive, City-led rezoning (about 1,200 sites) to higher density and mixed-use zones:

• Wîhkwêntôwin Node

• 124 Street Corridor

• 156 Street Corridor

• Stony Plain Road Corridor

• University-Garneau Node

These aren't just random locations. They are areas with significant existing momentum, transit investments, and high potential for success. In the past, the City would often choose a relatively vacant area such as Fort Road, or the Quarters, and invest significant resources into new infrastructure in an effort to catalyze investment in underdeveloped areas. Unfortunately, we have had mixed results with this approach.

Now, we are strategically supporting growth where the recipe for success is already in place. This allows us to use zoning as a powerful tool to catalyze development and investment where infrastructure can already support it.

The Upside of Upzoning

Advancing Priority Growth Areas has a number of benefits, including:

• Clearer Expectations: Provides certainty for developers and the community about what kind of growth is encouraged.

• Streamlined Development: Reduces costs, risks, and red tape for building new homes and businesses.

• More Housing Choices: Unlocks land in existing neighbourhoods, paving the way for diverse housing options.

• Smarter Infrastructure Planning: Proactively addresses water, drainage, and transportation needs to support increased density.

• Vibrant, Transit-Oriented Communities: Fosters walkable neighbourhoods where daily needs are close by, supported by strong transit connections.

• Increased Housing Supply & Affordability: More homes help address affordability challenges. This initiative also supported Edmonton's successful $175M Federal Housing Accelerator Fund application.

• Fiscal & Environmental Sustainability: Density along nodes and corridors supports efficient use of city resources, while reducing sprawl and car dependence over time.

This is an important step towards achieving Edmonton's goal of re-orienting growth in and up, rather than sprawling out.

How We Got Here

This progress didn't happen overnight. Edmonton's City Plan laid the groundwork, emphasizing walkable, mixed-use development along nodes and corridors integrated with mass transit.

Edmonton's City Plan details that as part of our goal to “ensure that walkable and attractive mixed use development occurs at nodes and along corridors in a manner that is integrated with accessible mass transit,” we should “strategize, invest in and nurture priority growth areas across the city to enhance equitable access to amenities and public services, and to maximize the benefits of mass transit investment” (City Plan, p. 57).

During my time on the Urban Planning Committee in early 2022, I learned that advancing these Priority Growth Areas was unfunded and not an immediate focus. Recognizing their importance, I successfully moved motions to:

1. Include a service package for rezoning priority areas in the 2023-2026 budget.

2. Request a report from Administration outlining a work plan, resources, and budget to identify and rezone Priority Growth Areas.

I'm grateful to my Council colleagues for unanimously supporting these motions and for approving funding for this crucial Growth Management work (2023-2026 Operating Budget and Plans, p. 109).

A Piece of a Larger Puzzle

Are Priority Growth Areas a silver bullet? No. Smart city-building relies on cumulative, intentional changes. This initiative is a vital piece, working alongside other transformative efforts like the Zoning Bylaw Renewal, District Planning, and our multi-billion dollar investment in mass transit.

Proactive rezonings, like those in our PGAs, are a recognized best practice nationwide for boosting housing supply and affordability. It’s about clearly communicating where we expect to see more homes and businesses, unlocking opportunities in line with our District Plans and overall vision for Edmonton.

If you would like to know more about the work we have been doing to reform and modernize Edmonton’s urban development, check out these blogs:

• Guiding Growth for Complete Communities

• The Next Chapter for Infill in Edmonton

• Revamping the Rulebook: Zoning Bylaw Renewal