Edmonton’s Growth Plan Must Make You a Part of It, Not Apart From It

Chaotic infill is over!

If it isn’t, Edmonton risks losing something far more valuable than housing starts or permits: we risk losing trust in how our city grows.

Infill was never meant to be chaos. It was meant to be order: a slow, generational increase that fit naturally within each neighbourhood. A few new homes in an area, every few years, blending in or beautifully standing out.

Instead, what Edmonton got was something no city in Canada could have predicted: a tidal wave of growth that normally takes 15 years, arriving in three.

If people feel like there’s been a sudden change, they’re right.

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What Happened?

Edmonton’s City Plan always envisioned infill as a gradual shift. But three forces collided at once. A national population surge brought tens of thousands more people to Edmonton faster than anyone forecasted. A federal housing program poured fuel on the fire, de-risking projects and pushing developers to build at unprecedented speed. And a new zoning bylaw, carefully designed for a marathon, suddenly found itself forced into a sprint.

No Council could have predicted this collision. The question isn’t why did it happen? The real question is: how do we respond?

Why Panic Isn’t a Plan

Some voices are calling to rip up the zoning bylaw or slam the brakes on new development. That would leave the city drowning in lawsuits, freeze investment even in places where projects are working, and damage Edmonton’s reputation for decades.

Others want to carry on as if nothing is wrong. That ignores the fear, frustration, and mistrust that are already reshaping the conversation in neighbourhoods across Edmonton.

Neither extreme is leadership. The only real path is balance — restoring order, trust, and stability while still meeting our obligation to grow.

SOLUTION: Five Serious and Workable Positions

1. TRUST

Open Neighbourhood Growth Tracker & Performance Bonds for Builders


People deserve clarity about what’s happening on their block, not a fog of acronyms and permits. That’s why I’m proposing an Open Neighbourhood Growth Tracker that shows exactly how many new units are coming, how populations are shifting, and whether schools, pipes, and roads can handle it. Annual reviews at Council (with real public input) would keep the City accountable. And Performance Bonds for Builders would make sure that if corners are cut, it isn’t the neighbours who pay the price. Trust is earned when promises turn into guarantees.

2. DESIGN



Edmonton Design Committee & Design Standards



Growth has to respect what makes neighbourhoods livable. That means setbacks that give homes breathing room, massing rules that prevent blank walls from overshadowing neighbours, and tree protections that keep our canopy intact. It means expanding the Edmonton Design Committee so new builds don’t just go up, they belong to the street. When the physical shape of a neighbourhood still feels human, people can welcome change without losing their sense of home.

3. HOUSING FOR FAMILIES



Three bedrooms & Seniors-friendly



Density only matters if it serves people. We need more three-bedroom units so families can actually put down roots, and senior-friendly housing so elders can age in place near the people they love. That’s what turns infill from a churn of strangers into genuine community renewal.


4. TACKLE BLIGHT, NOT NEIGHBOURS



Expand vacant lot tax & Development Fund



The pressure to grow shouldn’t land hardest on stable blocks where families are already thriving. It should flourish on: empty, derelict, or unsafe lots. Expanding the vacant lot tax and creating a redevelopment fund would turn today’s eyesores into tomorrow’s homes and amenities. That’s the kind of change people welcome. Of course, even for builders, established thriving neighbourhoods are more attractive, so incentives must implemented where building is needed most.

5. TAKE PRESSURE OFF INFILL ALTOGETHER



Intense focus on Downtown, Capturing Greenfield Loss, Bending Mill Rate down



If every ounce of growth is forced onto neighbourhood streets, no amount of bylaw tweaking will fix the strain. We need downtown towers filled, office buildings converted, new neighbourhoods built inside city limits, and industrial lands firing on all cylinders. That non-residential tax base pays for services so we aren’t forced to chase every single housing permit for revenue. When downtown, greenfield, and industrial growth carry their share, infill can go back to being what it was always supposed to be: gradual, steady, sustainable.

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How these Work Together

Each concept has a job – Trust calms fear. Design preserves character without making neighbourhoods feel artificial or overly curated. Housing for families and seniors gives density purpose. Tackling blight directs change where it’s wanted. And diversifying growth takes the pressure off everyone else.

When these gears lock together, Edmonton doesn’t just “manage” infill. We transform it from a source of division into a source of renewal.

The Danger



If things don’t change, public trust will continue to deteriorate. And when that happens you get more neighbourhoods signing restrictive covenants which isn’t great for them or the city, but is what they will be driven to when faced with no other options. It could also reach a point where good policy is replaced by reactive, desperate policy – which could lead to disastrous results.
There is an opportunity here to turn antagonists into advocates.
Infill was always meant to be slow and steady, it only makes sense to return to that original vision.


What Council Has Already Changed


At the first opportunity, after hearing from residents, Council directed immediate adjustments:

Increased side setbacks. More breathing room between homes, space for windows, stairs, and safe access paths. Reduced building massing. No more blank walls overshadowing neighbours; homes must fit more naturally on the lot. Stricter design rules. Real entrances, more windows, features that add life to the street — no more faceless boxes.

A decade-early bylaw review. We’re not waiting ten years to fix problems. We’re doing it now, based on real-world experience.



And just this month, Council went further:

Reduced mid-block pressure. Admin is bringing back options to ease oversized projects from the middle of neighbourhoods. Pulling major growth to corridors and transit. Incentives will steer big projects where infrastructure can handle them best.

The Payoff

Handled right, Edmonton’s growth surge can become our advantage instead of our crisis. Neighbourhoods gain stability. Families gain affordability and choice. Downtown regains its vitality. Industrial lands generate revenue to keep taxes stable.

Right place. Right pace. Right design. Right plan.

That’s how Edmonton grows with confidence. That’s how every neighbour feels they are — how you feel you are — a part of it, not apart from it.