|
Fort McMurray's economy is dominated by the oil sands industry, which provides 2/3 of all the region's job opportunities. The increasing demand for labor and materials in this sector, however, combined with the need for housing, has put great stress on the area. As its primary urban center, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo places great importance on the development of Fort McMurray. That is the purpose behind the long-range, comprehensive City Centre Area Redevelopment Plan (CCARP). The plan's 2030 vision statement reads: "We will build City Centre on the foundations of our cultural heritage and natural beauty as a model of an intelligent, sustainable and a vital 21st century community -- an active, vibrant, and quality urban place that provides opportunities for all the people in our community to work, live, learn, and play." The CCARP has established policies to guide sustainable growth, while outlining initiatives to attract investment in the City Centre. When the plan is implemented, Fort McMurray's City Centre will be a regional hub with a concentrated mix of uses and activities, including an increase in apartments in Fort McMurray to house the growing workforce in the oil sands industry. The CCARP was built around eight objectives of making Fort McMurray: - A sustainable City, that is deliberate about its use of energy and water, land, and its disposal of waste. - A people City, focused on enhancing residents' quality of life. - A beautiful City that merges the area's natural setting with a distinct urban style. - A secure City, with coordinated and responsive emergency services. - An accessible City, that is easier to get to and navigate through. - An inspirational City that celebrates its cultural heritage. - A competitive City that attracts new business and investment. - Connected City, with state-of-the-art communications capabilities. Community leaders have identified three critical issues that will guide future development: sustainable land use and infrastructure, electronic connectivity, and transportation. The existing commercial core of Fort McMurray will see the most significant and dramatic change in terms of character, function and appearance. The main focus is to create a highly concentrated, pedestrian friendly mixed use downtown core. The new core will revolve around a new public square, and will include major office buildings, cultural and entertainment areas, shopping and dining establishments, hotels, and multi-family residential accommodations. The plan is to position the City Centre of Fort McMurray as a "global leader in the creation of a next generation Intelligent Community." Beginning in the City Centre, the municipality will implement dense wireless infrastructure, fully integrated into a single seamless network, shared by everyone in the community. With Fort McMurray rapidly becoming Alberta's third-largest city, this plan will help the community establish itself as a focal point in the region maintain its momentum as one of the locations of choice for commercial and institutional development. Articles focused on providing useful information on employment, industry, developments and accommodations in Fort McMurray.
Related Articles -
Fort McMurray Growth, Development, Oil Sands,
|
