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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Visions of a future Yellowknife lined the walls of city hall's lower boardroom Dec. 4 for an open house on the city's Smart Growth Development Plan.

Consultants involved in developing the plan, as well as city administration members, were on hand to give information, hear concerns and help develop the dream image of Yellowknife 50 years from now.

Ann Peters of Dillon Consulting holds up a 2050 draft map of dispersed development. Open house attendees were invited to mark their current house or apartment location on the map to see what their area might look like in the future. - Lauren McKeon/NNSL photo

"What we're trying to do at this session is hear from citizens - what they really want. It's their city," said Bosco Tong, vice-president of iTrans, a national consulting firm recruited to complete transit studies for the city.

"We don't have a crystal ball," he added. "(But) we're trying our best."

The city has had some skeptical responses from Yellowknifers who doubt the city's population will grow to 50,000 in 50 years, said Jeff Humble, the city's director of planning and development. But he said the model can be adjusted to accommodate the city's growth, whether it reaches 50,000 in 30, 50, or 60 years, he said.

"If it takes longer that's okay. The same questions are going to be relevant ... (we want) to see what kind of city people ultimately want in the long-term."

"As to when (the city will reach 50,000) we don't know," added Tong. "It may be 50 years; it may be 30 years. It all depends on growth."

But when, and if, Yellowknife reaches a population of 50,000 there will be questions, he said.

Not everybody's questions - or concerns - will be the same, which is why the city wants a diverse range of feedback and is hiring a range of consultants.

In addition to iTrans, Peter Spearey of Eidos Consultants, who looked at the urban design framework of the city, and Ann Peters of Dillon Consulting, who looked at the ecological area presentation strategy, were on hand to answer questions and get Yellowknifers to consider a few of their own.

"Where are the conflicts? We want to develop (natural space) and we want to keep it ... What do we do? How do we come to terms with it?" said Peters.

From the comments people have made over the last 15 years, said Peters, it's evident people appreciate natural areas. Yellowknife, she added, is blessed with beauty.

"People here are very attached to the outdoors," she said.

For Spearey, who is not from Yellowknife, it was also a chance to compare notes.

He said his team's goal was to "balance what we see as outsiders with what people who live here feel."

With the completion of the MetroQuest survey and the upcoming report, the city expects to move into the detailed planning and design phase next year.