Councillor told highway from airport an eyesore

Hamilton tells Edmonton Talk Back better urban design is her main mission

Expect debate on the importance of welcoming urban design this term as one new city councillor promises to make that her mission.

Sarah Hamilton, councillor for Ward 5 in the west end, is launching an initiative on design this year to city council, hoping to build a powerful lobby to ensure all the good design guidelines city council endorses actually change what Edmonton residents see on the streets.

“The strength of this initiative will come from collaboration,” she said while answering questions Wednesday on Postmedia’s new interview series, Edmonton Talk Back. She’s recruiting architects, engineers, designers and residents to help understand what’s standing in the way today, and how to change it.

“This isn’t about big projects. It’s about what small changes we can make that enable good design,” she said, suggesting one step is to get urban designers involved with engineers at the beginning of city infrastructure projects.

The upcoming zoning review and strategic plans will give other opportunities.

‘WHY ARE WE SPENDING OUR MONEY HERE?’

She started thinking this should be her focus after a conversation last summer with the chief executive of a multinational company.

He said he struggles to defend investing money here because every time fellow executives come from Denver or overseas, they drive downtown on the industriallooking

This isn’t about big projects. It’s about what small changes we can make that enable good design.

Gateway Boulevard.

“It makes them ask the question, why are we spending our money here?” she said.

When asked exactly how she’d change that, Hamilton said she wants to hear from the community.

But her own impulse is to immediately start adding trees.

“Adding vegetation in the area is probably the easiest and most beautiful thing we could do.”

It might take time, but “having a good plan for how we can present this city to the world … is a good conversation to have.”

Edmonton Talk Back is a semiweekly show run through Facebook Live on edmontonjournal. com that allows community members to ask questions on the topic.

We started by inviting each council member to discuss an issue he or she will be focused on this term.

Past sessions involved councillors Andrew Knack discussing the west LRT and Aaron Paquette talking about food security.

NATHAN MARTIN Ward 5 councillor Sarah Hamilton answers questions about her urban design initiative as part of the Edmonton Talk Back series with host Elise Stolte. Hamilton hopes to build a lobby that ensures all good design plans endorsed by the city will change...