A low-carbon mixed use community takes flight

Blatchford Redevelopment Planning and Implementation

It’s rare that a significantly sized parcel of land near the center of a large city becomes available for a clean-sheet development. In 2010, the City of Edmonton, Alberta, committed to close its centrally-located municipal airport and create an innovative and sustainable community. Named Blatchford, after the airport that previously occupied the site, it will accommodate 30,000 people living, working, and learning in a transit-oriented, mixed use, and low carbon community. Underpinned by light rail transit and a district energy system to efficiently heat and cool buildings, Blatchford represents a new model for development in Edmonton.

Being headquartered in Edmonton, we’re proud to play an important role in the design and delivery of this ambitious project. Our role includes overall neighborhood planning and detailed land use, urban design, transportation, and servicing planning for Blatchford’s diverse districts of residential, mixed use, post-secondary, and park spaces. We’ve developed customized zoning tools and urban design and architectural guidelines to translate the vision into practical design frameworks. Land planning and engineering services provided subdivision plans and approvals for multiple stages, as well as landscape architecture concepts and designs for streetscapes and parks.

Although this is a clean-sheet project, the history of the site is being recognized. The former Blatchford Field was a critical training ground for allied aircrews during the Second World War. Honoring its past, Blatchford retains the airport’s control tower as a centerpiece, includes commemorative features in park areas, and names streets after figures from the region’s aviation heritage.