How do you introduce a new form of transportation infrastructure to a growing city?
You forge relationships and prepare to navigate unfamiliar territory.
In 2009, the City of Edmonton’s “The Way We Move” Transportation Master Plan determined than an urban LRT system was a priority. This style of LRT would bring the use of low-floor trains and more frequent stops that are integrated into communities to Edmonton by way of Valley Line Southeast. Approved in 2011, construction began on the Valley Line in 2016. Connecting Mill Woods to Downtown, this line will connect more Edmontonians to the places where they live, work and play.
The project was in need of strategic and deliberate communication between the business community, residents along the alignment, internal stakeholders within the City of Edmonton and TransEd (the consortium contracted to build and operate the Valley Line), and broader communication with the entire City.
Reverb team members have been at the table since the project’s inception. Bringing diverse experience to this project, our team members have played an integral role in the following areas:
- Communication Strategic Planning – Working closely with the City, we played an instrumental role in drafting the portion of the Project Agreement which outlined communication requirements for the contractor and the City for the duration of the project.
- Community Outreach – In collaboration with the City, we planned and facilitated public events and conducted meetings with businesses, residents and other affected parties. Reverb team members have played a key role in connecting with citizens to address their inquiries and to point them to the resources they need to understand how this new LRT line will fit into their lives.
- Stakeholder Issues Management – Reverb team members have worked diligently at developing strategies for mitigating impacts to stakeholders (residents, businesses, communities) along the alignment. When issues arose, we have been “on the ground”, working with community members to help find solutions.