Up to 30 pop-up dog parks to be created across Edmonton as part of pilot project

In a few months, the City of Edmonton will begin installing up to 30 pop-up dog parks as part of a six-month pilot project meant to help build "'15-minute communities.'

Starting this spring, there will be as many as 30 temporary pop-up dog parks in neighbourhoods around Edmonton.

It’s part of a six-month pilot project meant to help build 15-minute communities, which includes having dog parks within a 15-minute walk of everyone’s home.

The city said neighbourhoods were selected based on need: their proximity to existing off-leash areas, the number of licensed dogs in the community, requests for the establishment of off-leash areas by citizens, and the presence of off-leash dogs.

The availability of park space to accommodate the pop-up parks and accessibility was also taken into consideration.

Currently, the city says there are over 50 off-leash sites within Edmonton.

The city’s initial guidelines for dog parks were created in the 1990s, and over the years most off-leash areas have been created as a result of requests from community groups or citizens.

The pilot project is part of the Dogs in Open Spaces Strategy that creates new guidelines to shape and update the city’s planning, design and management practices regarding off-leash areas.

The city has identified more than 60 existing or future permanent dog parks, and there are 21 locations currently ear-marked for pop-ups, most located in newer areas to the south and west that don’t have such parks in their communities.