Opinion: City building should happen in Edmonton's suburbs, too

Given that a majority of Edmontonians, many new to Canada, are building their lives in suburban neighbourhoods, a question that I continually ask myself as a city councillor who represents these communities is — how are our suburbs working? And how can they be even better?

In late October, a panel discussion hosted by the Urban Development Institute, convened perspectives from the public and private sectors, academia and community. The conversation centred on how Edmonton’s suburbs are transforming into more dense, connected, affordable, and attractive places to better meet the needs of those who live there. One key takeaway: our suburban communities are in fact, urban.

Nationally, 67.5 per cent or 23 million people, live in the suburbs. The vast majority of the Ward Karhiio, which I represent, is residential development. This is a reality that should not be ignored. As we work towards implementing the City Plan which guides the future growth of Edmonton, we should consider how we might maximize progressive suburban development as an instrument to realize our goals of smart growth, 15-minute districts, and equity.

During the panel, we heard how the suburban communities are incredibly multicultural, intergenerational, and family-oriented. In Ward Karhiio, the makeup of numerous neighbourhoods is over 40 per cent visible minorities. New Canadians are finding connections through culturally relevant spaces and businesses — like community gardens, walking trails, and ethno-cultural grocery stores. First-time business owners are choosing the suburbs as a launching pad. Developers have and should continue to engage with diverse residents to think thoughtfully about the amenities and services that need to be integrated into their plans.

We heard how the suburbs have seen an increase in population density over the past few decades. This density is also driving innovation in building types, lot sizes, and configurations (i.e., townhouses, mid-rise apartments, and more), providing more attainable housing options than ever for families of all kinds.

We heard how the suburbs are creating physical points of social connection, with community centres busy with programming, outdoor spaces that encourage neighbours to break bread together, and play structures that light up at night. At the heart of these spaces are designs that support inclusion and equity, and nurture one’s sense of connection to place and to one another, generating greater yields of social and economic benefits.

We heard how the suburbs are spaces of experimentation, allowing builders to test out nature-based infrastructure like pollinator pathways and fruit tree-lined streets, and even new housing forms or construction practices. In their own way, the suburbs are living laboratories that may offer lessons for other parts of the city.

We heard a lot. But there is a lot more we could dig into. Like a connected active transportation network that joins communities to create people-first neighbourhoods; climate resilient infrastructure preventing heat islands that will benefit not only the suburbs but the whole city; and different mobility options like e-scooters and e-bikes could be the tool we need to strengthen our transit systems in these communities. We still have a ways to go.

But what resonated for me the most was how everybody deserves to live in great spaces and places. City building happens everywhere — not just in our downtown or our central neighbourhoods. City building requires everyone; when local government, private sector, and communities come together, we all realize higher returns on investment.

So where do we go from here?

First, with the budget discussion ahead, we have an opportunity to prioritize attainable and attractive neighbourhoods city-wide, specifically through Edmonton’s district planning efforts. District planning is a project to implement the City Plan’s vision of a “community of communities” — a collection of small towns in our big city, where people can meet many of their daily needs within 15 minutes from where they live. This also includes the suburbs. We need to move past a sometimes convenient dichotomous way of thinking — of “us vs. them,” “urban vs. suburban,” “greenfield vs. infill” — and plan to accommodate a growing population of an additional one million people in all parts of the city. District planning is one tool that will help us get there.

Second, innovation in development is only possible when there is support from regulators and city planners. One way we can do that is to overhaul Edmonton’s zoning bylaw which is already underway. If we want our suburbs to include a blend of housing options and great amenities like coffee shops, restaurants, libraries, and open space, we need a zoning bylaw that can enable them. We can further amplify this work by continuing to build complete streets and improving public realm infrastructure through guidelines and higher standards.

Enhancing infrastructure in the suburban communities and new greenfield developments, like boulevards, sidewalks, shared-use paths, and active transportation networks, through policies and processes needs to be balanced with the need to keep housing affordable and public infrastructure sprawl low.

Underpinning all of these actions is a priority to draw upon diverse perspectives, from residents and business owners to developers and community advocates. Ultimately, suburban communities are critically important because they are all about supporting the diverse needs of individuals and families, and housing our growing population.

As Edmonton’s councillor for Ward Karhiio, I am encouraged by the innovation and creativity I see each day, and inspired by the community members who build their homes and lives in Edmonton’s suburban communities. These aspirations need to be reflected in the upcoming four-year city budget. After all, building an Edmonton for all of us demands that we work with vision, creativity, and unity.

Keren Tang represents Ward Karhiio on Edmonton city council.

This opinion editorial was originally published in the Edmonton Journal on November 4, 2022.
https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-city-building-should-happen-in-edmontons-suburbs-too