{"id":1521,"date":"2013-07-11T12:22:36","date_gmt":"2013-07-11T18:22:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/edmonton\/?p=1521"},"modified":"2013-07-24T09:52:17","modified_gmt":"2013-07-24T15:52:17","slug":"plan-101-context","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/edmonton\/2013\/07\/11\/plan-101-context\/","title":{"rendered":"PLAN 101: Context"},"content":{"rendered":"

Planning theory has emphasized the importance of studying a site and its surroundings before any plan, public or private, is created to guide future development. This may make sense if one wants to identify the site’s weaknesses\/constraints (e.g. floodplains) and strengths\/opportunities (e.g. employment centres), etc. which may feed into better land-use decisions. In that sense, no site is truly a ‘blank slate’ — all places have their history, characteristics and context. This is essentially one of the core principles of what is known as the rational planning process<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Rational planning, however, rarely sees much application in practice: most planning at the municipal or local level is done on a project-by-project basis. People will push their ideas and steer the process to achieve a few objectives. This is understandable. Some folks do not have the resources for a study. Other\u00a0times, deadlines are tight or it is impossible to assemble a complete study.\u00a0It would be easier to simply skip it or do a partial assessment. Consequently, there is risk for potential oversight on existing problems and the creation of new ones as well.<\/p>\n

This process of muddling through<\/i> is not necessarily a terrible thing: I, along with other writers here, will likely be proposing ideas about urban development from time-to-time with only the information that is available.\u00a0I think it is great that there are passionate Edmontonians who want to improve the city. There should, perhaps, be\u00a0streamlined processes to quickly help people realize some of these great ideas… more sidewalk patios<\/a>, amenities, small\u00a0attractions<\/a>\u00a0and community gardens<\/a>\u00a0immediately come to mind.<\/p>\n

Still, some big ideas require a bit more thought. At times, it would be valuable to have discussion before heavily investing into an idea and proceeding through. Such projects may include permanent changes to the landscape, millions of dollars in investments, and public land\/resources. For these instances, we need to take a step back and ask ourselves the bigger questions about context. The implications are too huge to ignore.<\/p>\n

The proposed canal in Rossdale<\/a>\u00a0is just one example of such. This project hopes to kickstart development in West Rossdale by providing a public attraction for residents and caf\u00e9s by raising $50 million in private funds through the construction of a canal.\u00a0Despite its great and positive intentions, there are some big questions that need to be considered:<\/p>\n