The City of Edmonton is setting a new precedent for sustainable communities. The Blatchford redevelopment has already begun; transforming the heart of Edmonton and the previous site of the City Centre Airport into a world-leading residential development.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Mark Hall, Executive Director of the Blatchford Redevelopment. He shared his insights on the project and what role it will have in shaping Edmonton’s future.

The Vision

Conceptual image created by Perkins+Will

The City of Edmonton’s collection of strategic plans, “The Way Ahead”, sets out a framework for Edmonton’s future urban growth. The Blatchford redevelopment has been able to bring in many innovative environmental, social, and economic ideas from Edmonton’s strategic goals into one plan:

• Blatchford’s sustainable technologies — ensuring 100% renewable energy.
• Mixed-use open spaces — optimizing walkability, public transit, and cycling.
• Economically-sustainable amenities — creating approximately 10,000 jobs onsite.

As Mark expresses, “The Blatchford project is a good opportunity to demonstrate how Edmonton’s strategic plans can all come together.”

The Residents

Conceptual image created by Perkins+Will

Mark described the Blatchford community to be an “equal opportunity for all”. The development will attract Edmontonians of all ages, including student housing for the post-secondary institutes that are close by.

The community is designed so that residents can “live, work, learn and play at various times of their life.” Blatchford is intended to be a gathering space for the community, filled with opportunities for residents who lead an active lifestyle and would like to live in a family-oriented space. The development’s design will also include community garden plots, so that residents can enjoy growing their own food and contribute to the sustainable vision of the area.

The Impact

Conceptual image created by Perkins+Will

Edmonton has taken the lead in developing a community that successfully brings together environmental, social, and economic sustainability — without any limitation on demographics. The project will bring Edmontonians together in the center of the city, and transform 217 hectares into a state-of-the-art urban development; host to 11,000 dwellings. The first residents could be living in the area as early as 2016.

“We haven’t found any other development that has everything in one,” Mark commented. “This is something that people will come to Edmonton to see.”

For more information about the Blatchford project, send a message to your councillor.

NextGen will be participating at the Pride Parade on Saturday, June 7. Join us to walk with the group and enjoy the festivities at Churchill Square. NextGen has also won best overall float for two consecutive years!

Date: Saturday, June 7

Event time: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm

Where: 107 Street between Jasper Avenue and 102 Avenue (Find someone in a NextGen t-shirt to check-in.)

To sign up:

• RSVP here on our Eventbrite invite.
• Participants must sign up before June 3 to take part.

NextGeners at the Pride Parade.

Pecha Kucha Night 19 | Call For Presenters

Are you feeling inspired? Have you had a spark of genius lately? Share it with us – and 700 others – at the next Pecha Kucha! Now is your opportunity to present your ideas to some of Edmonton’s most engaged and creative young people. Edmonton’s NextGen is currently accepting presentation submissions for Pecha Kucha Night 19 to be held on June 5, 2014 in Churchill Square. More than 200 presentations have been given at Edmonton Pecha Kucha Nights, and most recently some of the topics ranged from donairs to nanotechnology, and everything in between.

If you’re interested, you can submit your presentation using our handy form!. Deadline for submissions is May 8 and will be reviewed the following week.

While you’re waiting to hear from us, you can prepare yourself by checking out our 10 steps to a great Pecha Kucha presentation.

What is Pecha Kucha?

Drawing its name from the Japanese term for “the sound of chit chat”, Pecha Kucha Night was devised by Tokyo’s Klein Dytham Architecture in February 2003 as a venue for young designers to meet, network, exchange ideas and discuss their work in public. It rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds, for a total presentation length of six minutes and 40 seconds. Why this format you ask? It keeps presentations concise, fast-paced and entertaining.
For more information, visit pechakucha.org

The next Green Drinks event will take place on Wednesday, April 2^nd at the Yellowhead Brewery.

This month’s theme celebrates Local Literature. Come to mingle with local authors, poets, editors, and storytellers. You might even take own your own piece of local literature as a door prize.

For more information, visit The Local Good or purchase tickets on Eventbrite. Act soon — tickets are selling fast.

See you there!