Given that 67.5% of all Canadians, or 23 million people1, live in the suburbs, cities and those who plan, design, and invest in them, are exploring a myriad of ways to reshape these places to better meet the needs of those who live, move, and play there. In fact, experts indicate that greenfield sites increasingly feature development with greater density, mixed-use, and a diversity of housing forms than previously built.2 The suburbs are also home to a wide diversity of people, as many new arrivals to Canada and younger households build their lives and stake their futures in financially attainable and livable neighbourhoods. 
Land development in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, in particular, has shifted to more connectivity, compactness, universal design, mixed use, public plazas, placemaking, and nature-based infrastructure ? priorities further reinforced in recent research from the University of Alberta.3 These outcomes are a positive by-product of an evolution in thinking by both the public and private sectors, who appear to be collectively focused on addressing the urgent need to create more housing and opportunities for people to connect with meaningful services and amenities, and each other.    As we know, significant attention gets paid to development and design in the core, but what innovation and redesign are we seeing in places where most Canadians actually live" This piece explores this question with several case studies across the Edmonton Metropolita...