Can You Overrule a City’s Zoning?

Edmonton changed its zoning to allow more homes in existing neighborhoods, and Alberta has now given the city three months to undo those reforms. The fight, reported by Global News in “Edmonton Mayor Pushes Back as Alberta Orders Reversal of Infill Housing Rules,” targets changes that expanded housing options and removed parking mandates. Norm Van Eeden Petersman is joined by Dear Winnipeg author Michel Durand-Wood and Strong Towns chief technical advisor Edward Erfurt to examine why those reforms triggered such a fierce backlash and whether the sudden jump in larger infill means the rules went too far or simply exposed demand that had been bottled up.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

• Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn)
• Dear Winnipeg (Site), You'll Pay For This! (Book)
• Edward Erfurt (LinkedIn)
• Articles mentioned and Downzone:
  • He Ain’t NIMBY, He’s My Brother (Article)
  • The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable: With a New Section: On Robustness and Fragility by Nassim Taleb (Book)
  • The Little Book of Springerle by L. Heart (Book)
• Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.

 

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