Edmonton residents and City Council are in the midst of a debate over their Municipal Development Plan (MDP), titled “The Way We Grow“, that included a public consultation period in 2008.

Edmonton City Councillor (who inspired much of my recent civic campaign) Don Iveson included some expanded thoughts on a portion of the debate that stemmed from a Council meeting in mid-November 2009 and the  comments/discussion that followed is an interesting read. In particular, Councillor Iveson makes the argument for more stringent and visionary density targets within the proposed MDP, which he suggests is skewed heavily in favour of continued urban sprawl.

Saskatoon residents, City Council, and City Administration would do well to gain a good understanding of the key issues and concerns being raised in the Edmonton process, as well as Calgary and Winnipeg, as we move towards implementing our own process over the coming months and years. No doubt, there will be a good deal of overlap with these other cities and the disconnect between adopted City policies (increased urban population, better transit, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable development, etc…) and actual planning practices (7 new neighbourhoods under planning or construction, all on the outer edges of the city versus 600+ empty lots in the core neighbourhoods).