NEIGHBOURHOOD DESIGN

INTRODUCTION
Okotoks originally developed along the Sheep River and the rail line before expanding
outwards. Over time, the Town has continued to develop new neighbourhoods, expanding
into new areas. While these new neighbourhoods are desirable places to live, they also come
with challenges. There are few connections between neighbourhoods, making walking and
cycling difficult, and there are few local community centres, shops and services, and
gathering places in neighbourhoods.

With the new annexed lands north and south of the existing Town boundary, it will be
important to consider how the design of these neighbourhoods will shape the quality of life
and overall sustainability of our community.

Okotoks’ Community Vision states: “Neighbourhoods are connected, fostering a

sense of community among residents. Housing is flexible, affordable and desirable, and
meets the needs of residents of all ages, income levels and family types. Design and
architecture create places that reflect neighbourhood culture. Community gathering
spaces are animated and anchor neighbourhoods. Streets are lively and engaging
places, where people can move around in a safe and inclusive environment. New
communities are permeable and connected to encourage active transportation.”

How can we design our neighbourhoods to create vibrant, sustainable and connected
places that reflect the people who live there?

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A map of land parcels within Okotoks reveals the vast extents of the annex lands relative to existing development
pattern.

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WHAT IS NEIGHBOURHOOD DESIGN?

Neighbourhood design is how we make communities – shaping the layout and uses of
buildings, streets, and natural spaces to create communities that are connected and
lively. There are a number of different theories of sustainable neighbourhood design –
but they all have the following in common:
• Mixed-use: neighbourhoods have multiple uses, such as homes, retail, and
professional and service businesses. More people are around at different times of
the day, which supports businesses and can improve safety.1 Mixed-use also
supports people’s ability to walk and cycle for some of their daily trips.
• Sense of place: neighbourhoods that are unique and reflect the people who live
there and the landscape where it is located. This helps support a vibrant
community and attracts new residents.
• Housing diversity: neighbourhoods have a variety of housing types so that
people can choose a home that suits them at all life stages.
• Walkable: neighbourhoods have lots of street connections, good quality
sidewalks, and places to walk to, such as grocery stores, transit, and coffee shops.
• Transit: neighbourhoods that have enough people and street connections to make
public transit feasible.
• Eco-Assets: neighbourhoods that manage eco-assets, such as natural spaces,
ecosystems, and stormwater in a sustainable way. This includes stormwater
ponds and features such as bioswales. This also contributes to a neighbourhood’s
character and livability.

TRENDS AND CHALLENGES IN OKOTOKS

• Okotoks first developed along the river and rail line. This area is now the
downtown. The second main area of development was uphill, north of downtown.
These areas remain compact and easily walkable.

• Development is now based on the agricultural quarter section. In Alberta, new

development is typically converted from agricultural sections (1600m by 1600m) and
quarter sections (800m by 800m). Historical trails become highways, with
neighbourhoods accessed by arterial street networks at 800 metre intervals, which
link to larger highways and highway-oriented retail centres.

• New neighbourhoods aren’t connected to each other. Quarter sections become

relatively contained, without street or path connections to other neighbourhoods.
Homes often back onto arterial streets, sometimes with walls for sound blocking.

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• Neighbourhoods only have homes – no retail or other gathering space. Most new
neighbourhoods don’t have local community centres or retail such as local
restaurants or coffee shops – places where people can meet or gather with friends
and neighbours. However, there is usually a fair amount of open space, including
parks and pedestrian trails, as well as other amenities such as stormwater ponds or
schools.

• Okotoks has a compact and charming scale. Okotoks is just 5km across as the crow
flies. However, the annexed lands significantly increase the size of Okotoks –
effectively doubling the land base for development within the Town.

• New neighbourhoods will develop rapidly. Okotoks’ population more than

doubled between 2001 and 2016 and is expected to continue to grow quite quickly.
With new annexed lands, new neighbourhoods will develop rapidly.

• Growth will likely continue outwards, away from the centre. The newly annexed
lands extend to Macleod Trail. This “back door” to Macleod Trail provides very
convenient access to Calgary, likely reinforcing Okotoks’ role as a bedroom
community unless we take steps to develop local jobs and businesses.

• Maintaining a strong downtown may be difficult. As the population continues to

disperse away from the centre, growing at the edges of Okotoks, maintaining the
strength of the retail and character of downtown may be difficult. Left to market
forces, commercial centres at the edges of Okotoks may draw people away from
downtown.

OBJECTIVES
To address these trends and challenges, Okotoks can work towards the following objectives:

1. Increase the ratio of local jobs to residents to support Okotoks as ‘more than a
bedroom community’.
2. Increase the ‘completeness’ of the Town and each neighbourhood with mixed use
neighbourhoods and local gathering places.
3. Continue to strengthen the downtown as the walkable ‘heart’ of the community with
a range of shops and services, housing, and public spaces.
4. Increase neighbourhood connectivity with more interconnected streets and linked
networks of parks, pathways, and open spaces.
5. Ensure “complete streets” are developed to continue to grow a “sense of place” for all
of Okotoks’ neighbourhoods.

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BIG IDEAS
To support creating sustainable, connected, and
vibrant neighbourhoods, the Town can explore a WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT
wide range of policies and partnerships. YOU THINK!
The following provides a range of options to spark Complete the survey online at
discussion about the best way forward for Okotoks. okotoks.ca/MDP or attend the
It is not a complete list of options and no decisions Public Event, May 12th at the
have been made at this point. Foothills Centennial Centre from
10am – 2pm to share your thoughts
Create neighbourhood design guidelines. Create on the future of Okotoks.
a set of planning and design guidelines for new
neighbourhoods to consider sustainability and
quality of life in everything from planning, to
building form to landscape design to protecting environmentally significant land.

Create guidelines for suburban-agricultural edge. The interface between suburban

neighbourhoods and agricultural lands have the potential for conflict due to differences in
land use – such as dust, spraying and noise from farms, and litter and trespassing from
residential areas. However, this agricultural land also provides much of the character in the
foothills area. “Edge guidelines” can serve as buffers to help manage the conflicts, preserve
agricultural lands, reinforce the character of these areas by addressing things like
subdivision road and lot patterns, building design and layout, buffers, and open space and
landscape design."

Develop community hubs. “Community Hubs”, or small neighbourhood centres, can be

complementary to downtown but help to provide local shops and amenities for surrounding
neighbourhoods to support more complete, livable, walkable communities. They can
reinforce distinct identities of the different areas of Okotoks and be places of connecting and
gathering with neighbours. This could include small community centres, parks, and retail
services. Limiting ‘big box’ developments and single use commercial areas also provides
opportunities for complete communities.

Focus denser and mixed-use housing along corridors or centres. Higher density housing
– such as townhouses or small, low-rise apartments – can help to create more vibrant
neighbourhoods and provide more affordable and diverse housing options but must be
placed carefully. These types of developments should be where future transit is planned, in
walkable areas close to neighbourhood amenities and ‘community hubs’.

Improve street connectivity. Interconnected street networks – where there is more than
one road to take – helps to disperse traffic and provide more routes for pedestrians and
cyclists, making it much easier and safer to get around without a car.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Okotoks Downtown Urban Design Master Plan

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CASE STUDY – BIG IDEAS IN ACTION

RED DEER PLANNING AND DESIGN GUIDELINES

The City of Red Deer developed Neighbourhood Planning and Design Guidelines to guide the
good design of neighbourhoods. These Guidelines are aimed at new ‘greenfield’
development, providing both developers and City staff with useful direction to work together
towards the City’s goals.

Nine principles are identified for creating great neighbourhoods:

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DOCKSIDE GREEN, VICTORIA

Dockside Green is a mixed-use

neighbourhood being developed in
Victoria1. Throughout development, it has
had a strong focus on sustainability, and is
on the forefront of sustainable building
practices – it will be built to a LEED-
Neighbourhood Development Platinum
standard.

Dockside Green is 15 acres and currently

has over 300 residential units (including 49
affordable housing units), 13 businesses, an
onsite wastewater treatment plant, and a
district energy facility. When it is
complete, there will be an additional 1,100
residential units, a commercial centre and office space, and multiple parks and plazas.

To allow the development, the area has a custom zoning district, a development agreement,
and design guidelines2.

1Dockside Green. Development. Available: http://www.docksidegreen.com/development/ Last accessed: April 19, 2018.
2City of Victoria. Dockside Green Urban Design Guidelines. Available:
http://www.victoria.ca/assets/Departments/Planning~Development/Development~Services/Documents/Urban%20Design%20Guidelines%20-
%20Dockside%20Green%20-%20December%202016.pdf Last accessed: April 19, 2018.

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