New district policy, plans including 15-minute cities concept OK'd by Edmonton city council

Edmonton city council approved its new district policy and plans for 14 districts on Wednesday.

The move advances The City Plan, a "vision of a vibrant, urban and climate-resilient city where residents can easily access amenities and services close to home,” Kim Petrin, the deputy city manager of urban planning and economy, said in a media release Wednesday afternoon.

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City council held a three-day public hearing on the district policy and plans, which include an urban-planning concept known as 15-minute cities.

One of The City Plan's major concepts is to plan the city so residents' needs can be met within a 15-minute commute.

The 15-minute cities urban concept, however, has been the subject of backlash and conspiracy theories, as people fear it means they have to stay in their area.

Professor Sandeep Agrawal of the University of Alberta's School of Urban and Regional Planning told CTV News Edmonton in May he thinks the idea of the '15-minute cities' catchphrase is to help people better understand the concept.

He called the theory that people would be "locked" into their area "a total myth."

"It's disinformation that is floating around. There's not an iota of truth to it," Agrawal said.

The 14 districts are called Central, Ellerslie, Horse Hill, Jasper Place, Mill Woods and Meadows, Northeast, Northwest, Scona, Southeast, Southwest, West Edmonton, West Henday and Whitemud. City council hasn't yet approved a draft plan for a 15th district, Rabbit Hill.

The city said it will start implementing the new policy and plans immediately.

The new plans replace 54 planning documents that dated back to the 1980s.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Diego Romero