Edmonton’s Neighbourhood Renewal Program improves areas
August 27, 2015
Launched in 2009, Edmonton’s Neighbourhood Renewal Program focuses on improving several of the city’s communities each year. Work crews are assigned to upgrade neighbourhood infrastructure over the summer, and these projects may include improvements to roads, sidewalks, and streetlights. The City hopes the program will help bring community facelifts to all of Edmonton’s neighbourhoods within 30 years — and also that this strategy will cost less than fixing problems as they appear.
The criteria for a neighbourhood to be chosen for the program include such factors as the quality of the current pavement, curbs, and sidewalk, each of which are assigned a rating from 'very good' to 'very poor.' The City then prioritizes communities based on budget availability and other competing construction projects occurring in Edmonton. Projects are also considered for their potential to slow traffic on arterial roads, as this scenario would increase commute times and frustrate residents.
By targeting multiple communities at a time, the City can also specify the individual taxpayer who benefits most from the upgrades. A dedicated tax of 1.5 to 2 per cent is levied to home and business owners when the selected neighbourhoods are announced. This process has rankled some Laurier Heights residents who feel some of the upgrades were unnecessary and therefore not worth the cost. However, the City believes the preventative maintenance provided through the Neighbourhood Renewal Project will deliver valuable benefits for years to come.
“This program is not only about the older areas,” Mayor Don Iveson once posted on his blog as a city councillor. “There is preventive maintenance occurring in the 20 to 40-year-old areas to ensure that the roads and sidewalks hold up for their full life, rather than prematurely deteriorating.”
The results of the program will likely be noticeable in neighbourhoods that require less significant infrastructure maintenance in the future.
Photos by: Greg Donnelly
About Greg Donnelly
Greg Donnelly is a former broadcast journalist and TV producer who now does freelance writing while doing his main job of being a stay at home dad to his two daughters. Greg grew up in St. Albert and now lives in central Edmonton. He has also lived in Calgary and throughout northern B.C. When he does get some free time it is usually spent watching sports.