Valuing environment, opportunities for introducing environmental criteria into the municipal development approval process at the City of Edmonton

Abstract

The issue of incorporating environmental criteria within a development approval process should be of importance to all municipalities. Land has predominantly been viewed as a commodity, resulting in a utilitarian and market perspective to land use. Society also has, however, an ethical duty to the environment. How does a municipality demonstrate that it values environment through its approval processes, and how have other municipalities addressed this issue? The City of Edmonton has a system of well-developed approval processes in place to include environment as a decision making criterion. What opportunities exist for incorporating environmental criteria into an existing process and if so, where could these criteria be best incorporated? The study concludes that there is a desire by administration and the development industry to be more innovative in development patterns, but that a supporting environmental philosophy from council and senior management is missing. A lack of consistent terminology regardingenvironment is another key impediment to change. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)