Blatchford takes flight

It’s not very often that an urban neighbourhood so near the city’s inner core can be designed basically from scratch. But that’s exactly what’s happening in Edmonton’s Blatchford.

The former site of the province’s first airport is now being redeveloped into a modern community designed for the future. It is committed to achieving a healthier, more sustainable and enriched lifestyle for up to 30,0000 Edmontonians.

Blatchford, developed by the City of Edmonton, is envisioned as a carbon-neutral community that sits on 536 acres of prime land just minutes from the downtown core and is almost the same size.

It will be made up of two primarily residential spaces on the east and west side of the site, along with a town centre that will be packed full shops and service, an 80-acre central park, plenty of additional green space and a civic plaza that will be designed to host festivals, events and markets in the community. With all your daily needs in easy reach, Blatchford will almost be a city within a city with two Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations within the community.

“Blatchford combines the best of urban living with local neighbourhood charm,” says Tom Lumsden, Blatchford’s development manager. “This master planned community will connect homes with shops, great parks, walkable streets and community amenities. By combining the best of ‘people-first’ design principles with leading sustainability practices, Blatchford will offer home buyers a truly unique lifestyle experience not available anywhere else in our city.”

Already, Blatchford is gaining plenty of love. It has already won its first national industry award, the prestigious Sustainable Communities award, which recognizes inspiring environmental initiatives from across the country.

It probably won’t be the last, as the implementation of the Blatchford energy strategy will lead to an approximate 75 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions generated from heating, cooling and producing hot water for buildings than in a typical community.

The first residents who moved in late last year are already enjoying the Blatchford lifestyle that empowers residents to pursue a range of sustainable living choices.

It is planned to be a medium-high density neighbourhood with multi-family homes including townhomes, condo/townhomes and condo/apartments, all reflecting the inclusive feel of Blatchford. Several showhomes are already open to visitors, and more are coming in the immediate future.

Blatchford’s high sustainability and urban design goals could not be accomplished without its home builders. They have fully backed this initiative and are critical to helping the community achieve its goals by implementing the high architectural standards, green building codes, and by connecting to the District Energy Sharing System. This last feature will provide environmentally-friendly heating, cooling and hot water to residents and businesses.

Blatchford is making an effort to get everything right the first time, instead of trying to shoehorn sustainability and ‘people first’ urban design principles in after the fact. Blatchford is integrating these concepts at all points of community development.

It emphasizes active transportation as an easy, natural choice and creates conditions where design can support and enhance everyday life. Well designed public spaces mean Blatchford residents will benefit from greater social connectivity in a more liveable, healthy community.

The high-quality architectural design promotes a human scale and a strong sense of place. Architectural guidelines that emphasize the relationship between buildings and the public realm (streets, walkways, parks, plazas, etc.) are being used to ensure the buildings contribute to establishing Blatchford as an urban, walkable neighbourhood.

Blatchford will be a unique neighbourhood where people can live sustainably in a community that offers amenities for everyone to enjoy like a fruit orchard, skating area, playground, community fire pit and so much more.

Community: Blatchford
Developer: City of Edmonton
Available homes: Townhomes. Condo/townhomes and condo/apartments coming soon
Builders: Mutti Homes, Ocheller by RedBrick, Encore Master Builder, Carbon Busters. More coming soon
Website: www.blatchfordedmonton.ca