Is it time to say goodbye to blustery, frozen streets?
Coun. Ben Henderson thinks the city could be transformed into a winter haven to rival Copenhagen in just a couple of decades.
The city has developed new design guidelines, which will dictate ways to make streets warmer and more accessible when temperatures drop. Coun. Ben Henderson calls the guidelines a first of their kind.
The document is just a draft, but Henderson said developers and planners are already buying into the concept.
“I thought in our scheme of things we would still be pushing the snowball up the hill right now. It really does feel like we’ve gone over the top and it’s now rolling by itself,” he said.
Coun. Ben Henderson says Edmontonians need to look on winter more favourably. (CBC)
Stantec urban planner Simon O’Byrne, who helped develop the guidelines, said good design can help shield people from wind and snow.
He said some buildings allow snow and wind to blow around them, instead of letting it fall onto pedestrians below, which is good for businesses.
“For example, instead of getting lots of people in front of their business for six or eight months of the year, imagine having lots of people in front of their business or on the street for all twelve months of the year,” O’Byrne said.
“They’re leaving money on the table.”
He said if the goal is to get people outside, it’s also important to light the long winter nights. He points to grassroots examples that are already popping up in Edmonton, such as the Light The Bridge campaign.
“We’re doing little things today, but just imagine if we keep making this relentless progress around good design and transportation in wintertime, where we might be,” O’Bryne said.
Councillors and staff plan to gather feedback on the winter design guidelines from hundreds of urban planners, architects, and entrepreneurs from 52 northern countries on Friday, as part of the city’s Winter Shake-up Conference.
After that, council will have to decide if the guidelines will be made mandatory for new developments.
“How much of it is recommendation, how much of it is built into our zoning? There’s still some deliberation on that,” Henderson said.
He said Edmonton has begun to take some of the steps that Copenhagen took in the 1970s, before it was the winter haven it is today.
Denmark’s capital is best known for it’s massive network of bike lanes. Cycling is considered the primary mode of transportation year round for many people who live there, and snow is removed from major bike routes before the roads are cleared.
The city also boasts busy outdoor public spaces and festivals, even in the winter.
“Now they’re in a city that is the envy of just about every city in the world,” he said.
