Land-use framework regions of Alberta

Land-use framework regions are a scheme of organizing local governments adopted by the Canadian province of Alberta. Numbering seven in total, each land-use region is named for, and roughly follows the boundary of, a major watershed. Managed by Alberta Environment and Parks, the stated aims of the program are to create a venue for regionwide planning and cooperation, promoting sustainable use of public and private lands. Every region is intended to develop and enact its own comprehensive regional land-use plan, guiding future development within its territory. However, as of 2019, approved plans have only been submitted from two of the seven regions.[1]

Land-use framework regions
LocationAlberta
Created2007
Number7
Populations37,759 (Lower Peace) – 1,814,190 (South Saskatchewan)
Areas50,338 km2 (Red Deer) – 192,198 km2 (Lower Peace)

History

Land-use planning has been practiced in various forms by the Alberta government for more than a century. In 1948, the Manning government divided the province into a 'green' and 'white' area. The 'Green Area', comprising 61% of Alberta's landmass and mostly owned by the provincial government, was to be managed for forest production, wildlife management, and recreation. The 'White Area', comprising the remaining 39%, was designated for settlement and agriculture. Further plans, some regional in scope, were implemented over the next few decades. For instance, the 1977 Policy for Resource Management of the Eastern Slopes identified watershed protection and public recreation as higher priorities than non-renewable resource development in Alberta's Rocky Mountain Foothills. However, these were implemented on a case-by-case basis, and never achieved comprehensive coverage of the province's landmass.

By the late 2000s, eight disparate provincial government departments each maintained an individual interest in land use. As facilitating effective Indigenous consultation became another concern of the era, the 2007 Land-use Framework was intended to provide the first-ever formal venue for cooperation between the provincial bureaucracy, its numerous local governments, and all other interested parties.[2]

List
Land-use framework regions of Alberta
Name Census statistics (2016)[3] Percentage
developed[4]
Area Population Population density
Lower Peace Region 192,198 km2 37,759 0.196 8.40%
Lower Athabasca Region 93,458 km2 118,799 1.271 8.67%
Upper Peace Region 74,270 km2 138,237 1.861 33.77%
Upper Athabasca Region 83,004 km2 122,806 1.480 29.11%
North Saskatchewan Region 85,781 km2 1,543,360 17.992 54.71%
Red Deer Region 50,338 km2 292,018 5.801 61.74%
South Saskatchewan Region 83,774 km2 1,814,190 21.656 51.47%

See also

References
  1. "Land-use Framework". Alberta Environment and Parks. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  2. "Where We Are Now". Land-use Framework. Government of Alberta. 2008. pp. 9-12. ISBN 978-0-7785-7714-0.
  3. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  4. "Land-use Planning Regions". Alberta Biosphere Monitoring Initiative. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
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