zens,” says Banford. “We also had to give
great consideration to where the project
would be located. How does this hug into
the landscape? Where is the touch down
spot at the top of hill and the bottom of
bank? Will it interfere with utilities? These
were just a few of the many questions we
had to consider.”
PUBLIC INPUT
Thus far, feedback has been exceptionally
positive, which Banford credits to the ex-
haustive public consultation process at the
onset of the project. “Public input was en-
couraged and became an integral compo-
nent to the design; this is a project for the
people of Edmonton, very much designed
in alignment to the voice of the People of
Edmonton,” he says. “We were very mind-
ful and took lot of time in that development
stage determining how to bring that vision
to reality. It’s exciting, very exciting.”
The primary focus, says Banford, was to
create inclusivity and connectivity to the
river valley from top of bank to bottom of
bank for anybody who would want to en-
joy the river valley. “If you don’t want to do
“Ultimately, we are in the business of building a great city.” –Jesse Banford,
director for Facility Infrastructure Delivery with the City of Edmonton
NOVEMBER 2017
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