Edmonton Council Passes Plan for 15-Minute Cities in 14 Districts

The city of Edmonton skyline on Feb. 15, 2023. The Canadian Press/Jason Franson

Edmonton city council has approved the district policies and plans to develop 15-minute cities in 14 neighbourhoods.

The first goal of the initiative is to have residents rely on public transit or walking and biking for 50 percent of trips, and to create neighbourhoods where residents can “access their daily needs within a 15-minute walk, roll or transit trip,” according to a report in the Oct. 2 Edmonton city council agenda.

The second goal is to have 50 percent of new housing units added through infill around the city.

The city says these measures will contribute in “achieving Edmonton’s climate goals.”

Council voted during the meeting to approve the plans, with nine councillors voting in favour and four voting against.

“The District Policy and plans will be an important part of guiding growth and development in Edmonton, showing Edmontonians how and where they can expect their communities to change and evolve over time,” deputy city manager Kim Petrin said in an Oct. 2 city news release.

Neighbourhoods that will be impacted include Horse Hill, West Henday, West Edmonton, Southwest, Ellerslie, Northeast, Whitemud, Mill Woods and Meadows, Southeast, Central, Jasper Place, Central, Northwest, and Scona.

Council will be looking at adding a Rabbit Hill district plan in the future, the city says.

Edmonton will begin implementing the plans “immediately,” according to the release.

UK Experience

The concept of 15-minute cities has been used in other places around the world as well.

In Oxford, UK, the concept involved introducing low-traffic districts with the goal of “targeting unnecessary journeys by cars.”

Amid backlash to the concept, the Conservative government of then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it would explore options to stop city councils like Oxford from using 15-minute cities “to police people’s lives.”

The plan in Edmonton has also been met with criticism, with protesters expressing concern it may lead to limiting freedoms.

The Edmonton City Council in June in response to those concerns voted to add an amendment stating, “The District Policy and the District Plans shall not restrict freedom of movement, association, and commerce in accordance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

Lily Zhou contributed to this report.