Architects say good design could solve Edmonton's infill problems

In the pursuit of good infill, the City of Edmonton has hired architects to lead by example.

In March 2025, the city asked a batch of architects to put together a catalogue of plans for different kinds of infill homes that would fit well into Edmonton’s mature neighbourhoods.

The city chose seven designs, which the public got a glimpse at Thursday at an Edmonton Design Week panel showcasing the project.

“We want to show what the city would actually like to see in a concrete way,” said Greg Whistance-Smith, a project architect with the City of Edmonton.

Whistance-Smith said the goal was to help increase housing supply and choice by offering standardized designs that fit within the city’s zoning and bylaw prescriptions.

By offering standardized designs, the city hopes to reduce wait times for permits and reduce incomplete or poor-quality drawings for permits.

Plans are to make the designs available to builders at affordable rates, agreed upon by the city and the architects. The program cost was around $500,000, funded through the city’s housing accelerator fund.

The designs come as future rules around infill in Edmonton are hazy. Last week, the province announced plans to limit infill development and also mandate that Edmonton roll back infill bylaws.

Premier Danielle Smith said growth was outpacing the infrastructure and services that support Edmonton neighbourhoods. The province characterized their intentions as a “pause” or “reset.”

Whistance-Smith said there is flexibility built into the program’s designs, and that they can be tweaked depending on what the law of land-use ends up being in the coming months. He said the hope is to have a clearer picture of next steps for the program later this fall, once there is more clarity.

Despite the flux around infill rules, the architects behind some of the designs said many issues with infill are solvable through good design.

Architect D’Arcy Jones said the project criteria were already fixing a lot of the problems “created by these buildings that everyone’s unhappy about being next to.”

He said an issue with some infills is that they ignore a neighbourhood’s existing aesthetic, and many of them even look like commercial apartment buildings. He said his company’s design took into account the context of Edmonton’s neighbourhoods, which are usually rife with bungalows.

Instead of towering over the neighbours, Jones’ design was five feet below the maximum height.

“In our project, we wanted it to seem more like a house than a row house, and more like a house than an apartment,” he said.

Meighan King Wall, another architect who worked on the designs, said while it’s important to think about what the occupants of the homes might want, it’s also important to think about the context of the neighbourhoods.

“Density doesn’t have to be the one thing that drives all of these decisions,” she said.

Unlike some infill that builds right to the property line, King Wall showed how an infill design could have room that allows for greenery and a communal space outdoors.

Ward papastew Coun. Michael Janz, who attended the event, said design reviews and increased standards have been something he’s been pushing for in the past, and he’s excited to see some results.

He said being able to fast-track more housing, while having a level of assurance for the public, is how the city is going to get affordable housing that is right for Edmonton neighbourhoods.

Looking back on last week’s announcement from the province, Janz said he wishes the province had waited to step in on infill.

“We could have shown them this design work. We could have shown them these good things happening,” Janz said.

“I think moves like this actually help take the temperature down.”

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