Edmonton City Plan 2020

Core idea

Nodes/corridors + 15-minute city

Why it matters

Ambitious growth with mode shift

Description

The City Plan, adopted by Edmonton in 2020, is a combined municipal development and transportation master plan that charts how the city should grow towards a population of two million. It structures growth around a network of nodes and corridors served by mass transit, sets a target that half of new units be added through infill within the existing footprint, and organises daily life around '15-minute districts' where residents can meet most needs locally, backed by significant mode-shift and greenhouse-gas targets.

Significance

The plan is notable as one of the first North American big-city plans to integrate land use, mobility, climate and district-level accessibility in a single statutory document, and it helped mainstream the 15-minute-city concept in a low-density, winter, auto-oriented context. It is frequently referenced in Canadian planning debates about ending greenfield-dominated growth on the prairies, and its implementation through zoning renewal has been closely watched.

What shaped it

• The 15-Minute City (2016)
• 15-minute city policies (2020)
• Transit-oriented development (TOD) (1993)
• COVID-19 reshapes the city (2020)

Sources

• https://www.dezeen.com/2023/02/20/15-minute-city-edmonton/
• https://www.edmonton.ca/sites/default/files/public-files/assets/PDF/CityPlan_NodesAndCorridors.p