District Planning

The City Plan introduces a new planning geography called districts. Districts are collections of diverse neighbourhoods where residents can meet most of their daily needs within a 15-minute walk, roll or transit trip from their homes.

District Planning is about changing the way Edmonton plans and supports development and growth to move us closer to our vision for a more connected, prosperous, healthy and climate-resilient city of 2-million people.

The District Planning project is not about restricting movement, monitoring people or tracking an individual’s carbon emissions.

The project has 3 main components:

Creating 2 new planning tools, the District Policy and 15 district plans, to prepare Edmonton for The City Plan’s next 1.25 million population milestone
Simplifying our land use policies by recommending geographic plans to keep, change or retire
Identifying future work priorities following the project’s completion

Why District Planning?

Edmonton’s planning system needs more than just a tune-up. It’s made up of hundreds of small geographic plans, many of them more than 30 years old, that no longer serve our city like they used to. This is why The City Plan introduced a new planning geography called districts — so we can plan for the future in a new way.

Since a plan for every neighbourhood isn’t feasible — Edmonton has over 400 neighbourhoods — The City Plan groups collections of diverse neighbourhoods across Edmonton into 15 districts. The District Planning project is about building a plan for each district. District plans support The City Plan by communicating and illustrating how each district is intended to change and densify when Edmonton reaches its 1.25 million population milestone.

When city planning focuses on a broader district level, it helps us be more thoughtful and efficient with our infrastructure like roads, transit and parks. District Planning will describe how the City is supporting more housing, businesses, amenities and transportation options in each district as we welcome more Edmontonians within our city’s current boundaries.

The intention is to move Edmonton towards a city where everyone enjoys access to amenities and services within a 15-minute walk, roll or transit ride from their home. Though, districts are not meant to be self-contained. For some households, 15-minute access could mean visiting nearby districts.

District Planning is not about restricting movement, monitoring people or tracking an individual’s carbon emissions, and nothing will be put in place to do so.

District Plans and Zoning

The City Plan sets the vision for Edmonton’s growth to a population of 2 million people. District plans and the Zoning Bylaw Renewal will both play a role in guiding future development to achieve this vision.

Zoning sets regulations (the rules) for what can be built on your property through the development permit process, including what activities and businesses can happen there, as well as building height, location and footprint controls (among other things).

Zoning determines the development potential of a site today. If the zone allows single-detached, duplex or row housing, that is what can be built there. As new homes and businesses are developed to welcome more Edmontonians, the City’s Development Planners will ensure that all proposed developments follow these rules.

District plans will set the policy direction to guide Edmonton’s gradual redevelopment as our city grows to 1.25 million people. They will provide direction for future development by informing the rezoning process, which is a formal public process.

When an application to rezone a property is made, the City’s Development Planner will determine if the proposed development aligns with policies in the relevant district plan (and any other relevant statutory plan) as part of their analysis. They will provide a recommendation to City Council on whether or not the rezoning should be approved and City Council will make the final decision.

The District Planning project is not proposing to rezone any land across the city. This means that your underlying zone will not change if district plans are adopted at the City Council Public Hearing in May 2024.

Check out the Zoning Bylaw Renewal Initiative to learn more about Edmonton’s proposed new Zoning Bylaw.

Cost of City Building

Building and maintaining a city is expensive. As a city grows outwards and new taxpayers help pay for its costs, there are also new roads to plow and pave, new pipes to connect and new parks to mow.

The City Plan seeks to shift how Edmonton will grow to manage these costs, targeting 50% of growth to happen in infill areas citywide. By growing in existing areas of the city, new residents can make use of existing infrastructure and facilities.

As Edmonton grows to 1.25 million residents, growth will still continue in planned communities at the edges of the city’s boundaries but redevelopment will be primarily encouraged and supported in existing nodes and corridors. This builds on the City’s infill strategies and will help Edmonton transition from growing out to growing in and up.

District plans will help prioritize specific areas for development to support vibrant communities and efficient use of resources.

Visit the Growth Management Framework project website for more information on how the City will manage its growth.

Project Timeline

Phase 1 - Groundwork (January 2021 - July 2021)

District Policy prototype and sample district plan developed
Urban Planning Committee meeting: Advancing City Plan: Systems and Networks (February 2021)
Prototypes shared with The City Plan’s core stakeholders (April-June 2021)
Public information sessions on the draft district plans (June-July 2021)

Phase 2 - Draft Plans (July 2021 - August 2022)

2022 versions of the District General Policy and district plans drafted
Urban Planning Committee meeting: City Plan Implementation Update: Advancing Edmonton’s Systems (August 2021)
Urban Planning Committee meeting: District Planning Authorization and Engagement Approach (April 2022)

Phase 3: Gather Input and Edit Drafts (June 2022 to November 2023) — We Are Here

Refine-level public engagement on 2022 draft district plans, District Policy and proposed geographic plans to keep, change or retire (June-October 2022)
Urban Planning Committee meeting: District Planning Project and Engagement Update (January 2023)
Urban Planning Committee meeting: District Planning Process - Review of Area Redevelopment Plans (January 2023)
Advise-level engagement on 2023 draft district plans, District Policy and proposed geographic plans to keep, change or retire (October-November 2023)
Urban Planning Committee meeting (December 2023)

Phase 4: Recommend Plans (December 2023 - May 2024)

Finalize District Policy, district plans and plans proposed to be retired or changed
Public hearing notification period (30 days before public hearing)
District Policy, district plans and plans proposed to be retired or changed are presented at a City Council public hearing (tentatively May 2024)

Updated District Policy and Plans

Plans to Keep, Change or Retire

Districts and 15-Minute Communities

District Maps with Neighbourhoods

Stay Informed

City Building Newsletter