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
Lower Peace Upper Peace Lower Athabasca Upper Athabasca Red Deer North Saskatchewan South Saskatchewan
Location	Alberta
Created	2007
Number	7
Populations	37,759 (Lower Peace) – 1,814,190 (South Saskatchewan)
Areas	50,338 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

• Calgary Metropolitan Region
• Edmonton Metropolitan Region

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.