April 10, 2024
The City of Edmonton’s newest installment of the Downtown Vibrancy Fund, now open for applications, will see up to $5 million invested into vibrancy efforts for the downtown core. The fund, which is part of Edmonton’s
Downtown Vibrancy Strategy, helps realize the potential in the heart of our city through collaboration with dedicated downtown partners.
“The Downtown Vibrancy Fund helps create a culture of creativity and action in our downtown community,” said Councillor Anne Stevenson. “We’ve seen dozens of incredible projects come to fruition through this fund, and this ongoing investment helps strengthen a vibrant and lively downtown.”
With a renewed focus on long-term investments, eligible projects will help activate our city centre and contribute to the pillars of the Downtown Vibrancy Strategy while aligning with one of four funding streams:
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Recreational amenities to provide sport, leisure, or recreational opportunities, like a new basketball court.
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Lighting to improve publicly accessible areas by adding creative lighting or projections.
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Downtown events like festivals or activities that increase the number of people visiting downtown.
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Public art and placemaking including artwork of any medium, including murals, sculptures or art installations.
“There is so much incredible work happening right now at a community and business level to build a more vibrant and prosperous downtown, and much of that work is being made possible through the Downtown Vibrancy Fund,” said Puneeta McBryan, Chief Executive Officer of the Edmonton Downtown Business Association (EDBA). “Last year, the fund enabled us at the EDBA to build and launch our Downtown Ambassadors, Downtown Night Patrol, and scale up our Retail Attraction Program, among many other events and initiatives. We’re so excited to continue partnering with the City of Edmonton on this kind of work and to see what kind of impact the fund can have in 2024 and beyond.”
Since its launch in 2021, the Downtown Vibrancy Fund has awarded over $8.2 million in funding to 174 projects, including the Downtown Business Association’s Retail Attraction Program, which helped increase retail occupancy in the downtown core.
Good Goods, a socially responsible retailer and recipient of the grant, was able to use the investment to open their first permanent store downtown.
"We’re very excited to be able to have a permanent spot for the community to come together, experience our offerings and celebrate the Canadian brands we work with,” said Aga Wajda-Plytta, co-owner of Good Goods. “We really put our whole hearts into supporting our vendors and choosing products that we know our community will love. Through this grant opportunity, not only do we get to participate in building a more vibrant downtown, we also get to elevate Canadian socially responsible brands, making them easily accessible and something to feel good about."
Other Downtown Vibrancy Fund projects have included festivals, events, business supports, placemaking, lighting and the development of the Window and Storefront Repair Program. Last year, there were over 150 festivals and events downtown, surpassing pre-pandemic numbers. Combined with planned capital projects, such as Warehouse Park and Centennial Plaza, the City is creating conditions for a vibrant and sustainable economy in our downtown core.
