08/18/2026
A recent trip to London got me thinking- Edmonton’s downtown needs a rethink.
Maybe the answer isn’t to keep trying to convince businesses to move back downtown.
The world has changed. More people work from home. So instead of building a downtown around the idea that thousands of people need to commute there every morning, let’s build a downtown people actually want to live in and spend time in.
Create affordable housing for young people and families. Give people a reason to call downtown home.
Then build the kind of spaces people actually want to visit:
Indoor golf, indoor parks and family spaces, Great, fun restaurants, Unique bars and breweries, Entertainment and culture, Recreation and activities year-round
People may not need to be downtown for work anymore — but they still want to eat, socialize, play, meet friends, raise families and be around other people.
Imagine a downtown where you can live affordably, walk to dinner, take the kids somewhere fun, meet friends for drinks, play a round of indoor golf, and actually feel like there’s something happening.
Stop trying to recreate the downtown of 20 years ago. Build the downtown Edmonton needs for the next 20.
Less focus on filling office towers.
More focus on filling our neighbourhoods with people, families, businesses, experiences and life.
UrbanPlanning AffordableHousing DowntownRevitalization
