What Is a Municipal Historic Area - and Why It Matters

Alberta’s Historical Resources Act allows the council of a municipality to designate properties as Historic Resources within the municipality, after notifying the property owner, when preservation is considered to be in the public interest. Similarly, if preservation of the historical character of any part of the municipality is in the public interest, the council may designate part of the municipality as a Municipal Historic Area.

A Municipal Historic Area has a distinct sense of time and place created by a collection heritage resources and/or landscape or streetscape elements. The heritage value of these areas is connected in part to their concentration of multiple resources that share a physical, contextual, or historical link. Municipal Historic Areas may include historic downtowns or residential neighbourhoods, collections of buildings or structures associated with a particular industry, institution or group of people, and landscapes spanning multiple properties that may include elements like parks, gardens, and trails.

Designating a Municipal Historic Area allows the municipality to preserve the unique historic character of an area for future generations by guiding the use and development of land and the demolition, removal, construction, or reconstruction of buildings within the designated area.