Blatchford Field – a sustainable community in the works

Sod was officially turned recently in Edmonton’s Blatchford Field for what will be one of the largest sustainable communities on the planet. And if things go according to plan, the 217-hectare park, once the site of the Edmonton City Centre Airport — which closed in 2013 — will be able to accommodate the first wave of residents by 2017.

Mark Hall, executive director of the Blatchford Redevelopment Project, admitted the timeline for the first phase is aggressive, considering there’s a great deal of aviation infrastructure that needs to be removed first. But once completed, Blatchford will house 12,000 energy-efficiency dwelling units, schools and other essential services, a town centre for retail and commercial businesses, green energy-efficient housing, community gardens and pedestrian-only streets.

Hall says the overall design for the project was based on similar communities already in existence in the UK, Germany and Scandinavian countries.

“We looked at how they approached designing the community, both for energy and lifestyle, and we took the best pieces of what we know what would fit for Edmonton,” he says. “We created what we think is a unique solution for the energy demands for 30,000 people on this site and the design features to fit how we want the residents to fit for Blatchford.”

But even with grading and excavation for a stormwater pond under way, City Council still needs to approve the installation of a unique geothermal energy distribution system to be used in the park. The system draws heat energy stored underground via pipes installed up to 120 metres below the surface. Heat exchangers and pumps then distribute that energy throughout the community.

“Homes would each have a heat pump, but they wouldn’t have a furnace,” says Hall, adding that solar energy facilities will also be implemented in the neighbourhood.

Hall says that elements to encourage healthy lifestyles were included to inspire more neighbourhood interaction. Meeting places like coffee shops and cafes will be situated in locations less than two minutes of walking distance from any direction, while community gardens will enable residents to grow their own food together. Roughly a fifth of the land will be dedicated to public open spaces and park land.

While the park will have easy access to light rail transit connecting residents to the rest of the city, motor vehicle traffic within Blatchford will be less frequent than in other Edmonton neighbourhoods.

“We’re looking at how to effectively move more pedestrians and cyclists and people who would choose to use what we would call active modes of transportation,” he says. “If somebody wants to ride a bike or walk or do inline skating, we’re trying to design a transportation system would make it easier to use an active mode of transportation. We know that people are going to drive through the community, so what we want to do is have them make slightly fewer trips in a private automobile.”

Images courtesy City of Edmonton

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