About Breathe

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Learn more about what’s in Breathe.

Vision

Edmonton offers an integrated, multi-functional network of parks and open spaces that is renowned as an iconic and defining feature of Alberta’s capital city.

The green network supports healthy ecosystems and diverse wildlife habitats, and meets the needs of communities present and future by connecting people with year-round opportunities to learn, commute, recharge, recreate, gather and celebrate. Edmontonians are proud of their green network and enjoy sharing the diverse environmental, economic and quality of life benefits the green network provides.

Strategic Goal

The main goal of Breathe is to plan and sustain a healthy city by encouraging connection and integration of open space at the site, neighbourhood, city and regional levels. As Edmonton grows to a city of two million people, every neighbourhood will be supported by a network of open space.

Parks and open spaces are vital to a community’s health. These spaces provide places for people to play, gather, grow food, learn about nature and celebrate. Citizens share these spaces with wildlife and plants.

Breathe will guide the planning of the city’s green network to meet the needs of growing communities.

Breathe aligns with the goals of The City Plan, in particular improving Edmonton’s livability, preserving and sustaining the environment, transforming urban form and encouraging use of public transit, walking and cycling.

Breathe Themes

Three overall themes help to frame how we think about the green network and why it is important to people, the city and the ecological system:

Ecology: Open space protects the environment. By working with our ecosystems, we support natural ecological processes, save our riverbank from erosion and build habitat for animals such as birds, fish and moose, as well as plants and trees.

Wellness: Open space supports health and well-being, and offers places for people to be physically active and recharge mentally.

Celebration: Open space connects people to each other and builds a sense of place. These are key places for communities to thrive, gather and celebrate.

What is Part of the Green Network?

The green network is all of the city’s outdoor land and water that is publicly owned and/or publicly accessible. Some examples of open spaces include:

Parks and plazas, such as Churchill Square, William Hawrelak Park, John Fry Sport Park, Jackie Parker Recreation Area
Main streets, such as Jasper Avenue, Whyte Avenue, and 124th Street
Natural areas, including the River Valley and ravine system, Poplar Lake, Hodgson Wetland, and Pollard Meadows Natural Area
Corridors and linkages, such as Mill Creek Ravine and Wolf Willow Ravine
Active transportation routes, including the Downtown and Strathcona Garneau Bike Routes, shared use paths and trails
Green infrastructure, including bioswales (such as at the Ellerslie Fire Station and Mill Woods Park Parking Lot), publicly accessible green roofs, and bioretention/rainwater gardens (Eastgate Drainage Yard and Government House Park)

What is a Network Approach?

A network approach imagines parks and open spaces as an interconnected system and considers the relationship between each of the parts (parks, natural areas, corridors and more).

The network approach is important to land-use planning as it identifies solutions that prioritize each of the parts of the system, as well as the way they work together, with the goal of ensuring all neighbourhoods have access to a thriving green network.

Explore Breathe

The strategy will guide future planning to ensure all neighbourhoods are supported by high-quality, accessible, connected open spaces.

Part 1: Foundations (17MB)

The need for a green network strategy
The purpose of the strategy
The policy framework which informs it

Part 2: Layers and Functions (9MB)

The components and functions of Edmonton's Green Network across the themes of Ecology, Celebration and Wellness

Part 3: Providing Open Space (10MB)

Part 3: Maps (32MB)

Describes and illustrates how open space is provided in Edmonton in terms of quality, distribution, diversity and supply, currently and projected for the future

Part 4: Green Network Policies (3MB)

10 Strategic Directions
Accompanying policies that will guide open space planning, design, (re)development, management and use as the city grows and changes

Part 5: From Policy to Action (3MB)

Challenges and Opportunities of open space planning in the City of Edmonton
Lays out the next steps in the development and implementation of Breathe

Open Space Classification System (1.2MB)

An overview of the City's open space classification system

Map Package (22MB)

Provides the maps included in the draft Strategy in 11inch x 17inch format

Contact Us

Email	breathe@edmonton.ca