Edmontonians are upset that the city didn't consult them before deciding to turn Edmonton into a '15 minute city'. pic.twitter.com/7gDFD5uEkm
— NinnyD 🇬🇧❤️🇺🇸 Waiting~4~the Revolution (@ninnyd101) March 6, 2023
Western Standard, Alberta, Canada local
written by Arthur C. Green
Wednesday February 15, 2023
Edmonton has more than 400 neighbourhoods and the city said each district plan will serve a collection of neighbourhoods in the 15-minute city.
The controversy over the 15-minute city is heating up in Edmonton and residents fear they may eventually be limited to districts.
The city claims that districts are a "necessary tool" for the plan.
It appears the City of Edmonton wants to be a 15-minute city for residents.
District Planning is a multi-year project to build a “community of communities — small towns in our big city," where people can meet many of their daily needs within 15 minutes of where they live in Edmonton, the City of Edmonton stated in the District Planning Guide.
Edmonton’s planning system, consisting of hundreds of small plans, many of them more than 30-years-old, "needs more than just a tune-up," continued the guide.
"This is why the city is carefully reviewing and analyzing older plans to be repealed so they can be replaced by, or incorporated into, the new tool of district plans."
The city claims replacing its outdated plans with district plans and capturing all the details of each neighbourhood is too much to accomplish at once.
"That’s why district plans will begin as rather simple plans that provide the essentials," the city said.
According to city documents, the 15-minute city project is preparing to help Edmonton reach 1.25 million people.
The guide states cities are complex and no city is static.
"Districts will help us build complete communities where we all can work, shop and enjoy nature. When we plan our city on a district level, it also helps us be more thoughtful and efficient with our infrastructure like roads, transit and parks," the city said.
"District planning will provide a link between the City Plan and the Zoning Bylaw and, supported by the City Planning Framework, simplify our land use policies and plans."
The city claims as part of the process to draft district plans, it reviewed every area plan and proposed which (area) can be "repealed, amended or retained."
"This will ensure district plans contain the most current directions from The City Plan."
Area plans proposed to be repealed, amended or retained are then listed in another document which describes the review process and lists the proposed plans for each district.
A final list of proposed plans to be repealed, amended or retained will be available in 2023.
🚨👇 HERE THEY ARE CALLING IT A CONSPIRACY "THEORY." 👇🚨
City of Edmonton published August 30, 2022: Districts and 15-Minute Communities. How do we plan a city where residents can meet most of their daily needs within a 15-minute walk, roll, bike or transit trip? Learn about districts, 15-minute communities and how they’re helping make The City Plan’s big-picture vision a reality.
CityNews published January 30, 2023: Old concept, new name: Understanding Edmonton’s 15-minute plan.
City News, Edmonton, Canada local
written by Carly Robinson
Tuesday January 31, 2023
Edmonton’s district plan is about how the city is preparing for population growth. But what exactly does it mean to be a “15-minute city?”
The urban plan aims to give residents access to most of what they need within 15 minutes from their home.
“Employment, entertainment, recreation and retail amenities, within 15 minutes of your front door,” said Ward pihêsiwin councillor Tim Cartmell.
Cartmell says some Edmontonians, like himself, already live in districts that have most of what you need within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. But he points to neighbourhoods like Windermere in his ward as still lacking some key amenities.
“You can send your kid on their bike down to the splash pad, or skateboard park,” said Cartmell. “Which you cannot do in Windermere right now because they don’t exist.”
The plan has been in the works since 2020, as part of the City Plan, and is anticipated to be back before council this summer.
Online conspiracy theories
But the urban planning initiative has recently been getting negative attention online, with a baseless claim that this is an attempt to lock people in their neighbourhoods.
“Whoever is suggesting that must really be entertaining themselves with how many people they’ve gotten to bite, because it’s absolute nonsense,” said Cartmell.
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi expects the majority of Edmontonians “are a very smart and sophisticated people who will not believe this conspiracy theory being promoted online.”
Many of those sharing the conspiracy theory online include a picture of a map showing districts in Canterbury, U.K., with captions often purporting it as Edmonton with a plan to limit movements between districts.
The Oxfordshire County Council in the U.K. needed to put out a statement on the matter after staff and councillors were subject to “abuse due to inaccurate information.”
While they do have a plan to limit traffic on smaller roads between districts during rush hour, they stress there is no plan to limit people from leaving their communities.
‘It’s not locking people down’
The director of the University of Alberta’s School of Urban and Regional Planning says the idea behind 15-minute city plans is about giving residents more options.
When asked if there was any basis to it being a plan to lock people close to home, Sandeep Agrawal said it’s all about bringing “facilities closer to people, it’s not locking people down. It’s actually about providing better connectivity.”
Agrawal stresses the “idea is not new, but the naming is new, and it is catchy, and it makes sense for the average person.”
When it comes to implementing the plan, Agrawal says it’s unlikely there will be any notable change overnight, but rather years into the future in making all parts of the city more livable.
Mayor Sohi says he looks forward to continuing to enjoy “the great amenities in every neighbourhood. Edmonton is one city and we want people to enjoy that.”
How does a city prepare for population growth? Understanding Edmonton’s District Plan.
Danios12345 published June 23, 2011: Soylent Green (1973) Trailer where human beings were forced to live in DISTRICTS aka 15-Minute Cities.
You can CLICK HERE to watch the full movie online for free. No download. Click the lower right to enlarge the screen to fullscreen. It starts with the YEAR 2022.
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