Speaking of design, have you bought your tickets to the May 1st guest lecture with Danish designer Mikael Colville-Anderson?

Does Edmonton need an architecture school?

As an alumnus of the University of Alberta and the City Councillor for the area, I’m frequently invited to engage in the campus community. Recently at a celebration event for planning students, people were talking about Edmonton needing an Architectural school and I shared my enthusiastic support. This would have a tremendous impact on advancing and growing the beauty of the buildings and built form in our city. As highlighted in the fantastic book “Building Optimism” by Coby Lefkowitz, building beautifully doesn’t have to cost more, and it can actually add greater value, utility of space and efficiency of operations to our facilities. 

One of the reasons I believe Edmonton is a leader in many urban policies compared to other similar mid-sized North American cities (as observed by many folks such as CityNerd in his recent video
"Come for the mall, stay for the urbanism") is because we have a planning school with students, staff, and families engaging and wrestling with these big city building questions and bringing these conversations out into the community. Just as our planning school has challenged the city, so would an architecture school.

As you may know, the U of A received a proposal for an Architectural School years ago, but it did not move forward. I’ve been hearing from people who believe it is time to revisit this opportunity-- not only for Edmonton but for all of Northern Alberta. A professional program, even a small one, could help meet our need for professional architects ready to get their stamp, get registered and get to work in Edmonton region and across north and central Alberta.

I have had a number of conversations and believe there is both appetite and opportunity in this moment. I've discussed this with architects, developers, builders and faculty, and we strongly believe that establishing a small professional program would not only align with numerous Ministerial mandate letters, but would also complement the Premier's vision for building in Alberta. We believe there is academic support and funding from the philanthropic and development community to set up an endowed chair and get a program moving through the Faculty of Engineering. The next steps include securing the support formally from the University of Alberta and advancing the proposal for approval to Minister McDougall for approval.

If you are interested in supporting this initiative, please reach out to me: [email protected] and I will connect you with other opportunities.

Further Background from the proponents:

Western Canada is materially underserved by architecture programs. On a per-capita basis, the region has roughly one-third fewer schools of architecture than Ontario, Quebec, or Atlantic Canada. Adding a new school in the West would balance these figures and fill the most conspicuous gap in this landscape: Edmonton is, by far, the largest metropolitan area in the country without an architecture program. In addition to Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, and Calgary, which all have their own schools of architecture, Quebec City, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Kitchener–Waterloo, London, Halifax, St. Catharines–Niagara, Windsor, Oshawa, and Victoria either host a program or have immediate access to one.

This has predictably led to Edmonton having vastly fewer architects per capita than peer cities. Alberta’s approximately 900 registered architects are disproportionately concentrated in Calgary (about 500), while Edmonton—despite a similar population—has roughly half that number. Additionally, Alberta has roughly one third the number of Architects per capita compared to BC and Quebec, and approximately half that of Ontario.

Data from Alberta’s recently-updated 2023-2033 Occupational Outlook suggests that this is not simply a matter of demand, projecting a shortage of Architects in the province throughout the decade.

At the same time, data from the previous proposal shows strong demand from students. Most Canadian architecture programs accept only 10–25% of applicants. Edmonton students who wish to pursue the profession must leave the city, and many do not return. This represents a clear loss of talent, economic activity, and future professional leadership.

The University of Alberta has historical precedent in this domain: it operated one of the earliest architecture programs in Canada. Re-establishing a school today would align with the university’s strengths in engineering, planning, construction science, design, and sustainability research. It would also support industry needs in a period of rapid urban growth, sustainability mandates, and complex building-performance requirements.

More broadly, a School of Architecture would contribute meaningfully to the cultural and economic life of Edmonton. Cities with strong design institutions consistently demonstrate higher levels of architectural quality, civic ambition, and talent retention. Edmonton has the population size, the professional community, and the civic momentum to support such a program; what it lacks is the institutional anchor that a university-based school provides.

Watch: Better Buildings for Better Communities: An evening with Seattle Architect Michael Eliason:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OnMAvMsOS4

Watch: Justine Underhill: What changes people’s mind about housing?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCKrQ48MULE