Edmonton

The Urban Planning and Environment Branch works with City Council in developing the growth and environmental vision for the City of Edmonton. It is responsible for preparing strategic policy frameworks that influence the way Edmonton looks, feels, operates and interacts within its city-centred region over the long term. The Branch’s activities include: corporate land use and environmental policy, area plans, city wide and area specific guidelines and programs; it also undertakes urban design projects and reviews, evaluates and develops plans for parkland and the integration of biodiversity throughout the city. The purpose of this review was to look at the activities of two Sections within the Branch, Urban Design and Planning Initiatives. Both Sections support larger strategic directionsadopted by the City and expressed inThe Way We Grow (Municipal Development Plan) by creating attractive and compact physical design with diverse neighbourhoods, amenities and public open spaces.

There was already acknowledgement of the value of pairing Urban Designers and Planners (within the Branch) and it was felt that there might be more effective ways to address this challenge. With this in mind the review looked at opportunities to modify the allocation of responsibilities and structure of these two sections. While the primary focus was on the Urban Design and Planning Initiatives Section of the Urban Planning and Environment Branch the review suggested that the perceived need to undertake this internal Branch review was symptomatic of a larger problem and opportunity raising important questions.  Is the current fragmented structure related to planning and urban design efficient and effective and most importantly is it conducive to holistic creative problem-solving? Some opportunities for additional improved external relationships were also identified.