The City is working to implement the vision identified in Breathe. This work includes replacing the Urban Parks Management Plan, with a new Open Space Standards and Management Plan (OSSMP), which guides the City’s investment in parks and open spaces, from acquisition and development to operation, maintenance and service delivery.
Public and Targeted Engagement
Public engagement on the draft Open Space Standards and Management Plan (OSSMP) will be available in fall 2026 on Engaged Edmonton. The public will have an opportunity to learn more about the OSSMP and provide feedback.
Ongoing conversations with key development partners continued in Phase 2 to inform technical details of the Open Space Standards and Management Plan (OSSMP), the Park Lighting Strategy and the Utilities and Servicing Strategy for Open Space Development.
A public survey in Phase 1 helped us understand how Edmontonians use City parks throughout the year, their preferences for activities, preferences for proximity, and barriers to access. Feedback from key development partners along with the public survey findings have been considered for the Open Space Standards and Management Plan and the approach to the open space network analysis.
The ongoing Breathe Implementation: Open Spaces Standards and Management Plan (OSSMP) project is the foundational work that implements Breathe: Edmonton’s Green Network Strategy (2017) and replaces the Urban Parks Management Plan (2006-2016).
Breathe: Edmonton’s Green Network Strategy held engagement from 2016 to 2017 through three phases of engagement, including public, targeted, and Indigenous engagement.
- Breathe Strategy Phase 1 What We Heard Report (August 2016)
- Breathe Strategy Phase 2 What We Heard Report (October 2016)
- Breathe Strategy Phase 3 What We Heard Report (December 2016)
Project Timeline
Current Phase
Next Phase
Spring 2024 - Fall 2024
Background research, information gathering and preliminary engagement with key development partners.
Winter 2025 - Spring 2026
Council information session, preliminary draft development, Phases 1 and 2 engagement.
Summer 2026 - Fall 2026
Draft refinement, Phase 3 engagement.
Winter 2027
Council and OSSMP implementation.
Project Standards and Tools
Building off what we learned through previous public engagement, the Breathe Implementation Project will establish standards and create tools to support the City in making decisions about our parks and open spaces. These standards and tools include:
- Provision standards that provide measures for the supply, distribution, quality and diversity of open spaces and amenities
- Classification standards that establish the attributes and characteristics of different categories of open space
- Analysis to understand gaps in the open space network and equity considerations (such as supply, quality, distribution and access) at the district level
The scope of this project is city-wide, however, River Valley planning and management is not in the scope of the Breathe Implementation Project, as it is addressed by the River Valley Planning Modernization Project.
Supporting Edmonton's Parks and Open Spaces
As the city grows, we need to expand our open space system to support a growing population and look at getting more out of the park space we currently have and manage it effectively.
Breathe identifies 4 measures for assessing the open space network:
- Quality
- Distribution
- Supply
- Diversity
Breathe implementation will result in parks and open spaces that better serve the needs of our communities in the long term.
Progress: Spring 2026 - Fall 2026
The City of Edmonton completed engagement with key development partners who have assets on open space throughout Edmonton (representing the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues, school boards, BILD Edmonton Metro and EPCOR) on the draft OSSMP recommendations relevant to each partner, and gathered feedback. The feedback is published in the Phase 2 What We Heard Report (11.41 MB). A brief summary of the topics discussed include:
- Park classifications and park sizing
- Base level development for municipal parks versus enhanced amenities
- Grading, utility and lighting requirements
- Tree planting, site furniture, pathways/walkways
- Appropriate enhanced amenities
- Park acquisition in the developing versus redeveloping area
- Integration of the 3 Breathe themes of Ecology, Celebration and Wellness
- Increasing the diversity of amenities throughout an interconnected parks and open space network
- Community league provisions
- Design considerations for the parks and open spaces network
The draft OSSMP is currently being refined. The OSSMP document will be finalized following feedback from the public and key development partners.
Contact Us
Email breathe@edmonton.ca