By Jason Syvixay, BILD Edmonton Metro
For decades, Dr. Sandeep Agrawal has explored how immigrants settle in and reshape Canada's urban landscapes. A defining theme in his research? A growing share of newcomers — over 40% — are now settling outside traditional gateway cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Between 2011 and 2016, Edmonton and Calgary became key destinations, drawing 6.5% and 7.7% of all immigrants to Canada, respectively.
In Edmonton, many newcomers are planting roots in the city's rapidly growing south. But the story of South Edmonton is not just about real estate — it is about transformation. It is about people turning space into place, and place into home.
A Community of Communities
Dr. Agrawal, founder of the University of Alberta's School of Urban and Regional Planning, has spent years mapping Edmonton's evolving ethnic enclaves. His earlier research identified four key ethnic communities in the city — two white-majority (Ukrainians and Germans) and two visible minorities (South Asians and Chinese). In 2016, Ukrainians were concentrated in northeast neighbourhoods like Beverly Heights and Delwood, while Germans were more prevalent in central-east areas such as Terrace Heights and Kenilworth.
Meanwhile, South Asians established strong roots in the southeast — Millwoods, Tamarack, Silver Berry — neighbourhoods increasingly defined by ethnic grocery stores, and religious institutions. Chinese communities have historically been anchored in inner-city areas like Boyle Street, Central McDougall, and Chinatown.
But the map is changing. Dr. Agrawal's most recent research shows that Germans have shifted toward Southwest and South-Central Edmonton. South Asian and Filipino communities continue to grow in the city's southeast and west areas, and Chinese residents are now expanding into suburban areas with a few new pockets in mature neighbourhoods. In some southern neighbourhoods, immigrants make up between 51% and 75% of the population.
"Almost all newcomers are settling in new suburbs in the southeast, southwest, and west sides of Edmonton," says Dr. Agrawal. "This pattern mirrors what we're seeing across Canada: the suburbanization of new immigrants."
Why? Affordability, community networks, and culturally-attuned services.
"Many immigrants still come to Canada with the suburban dream," Dr. Agrawal explains. "Owning a home offers a sense of permanence, security, and commitment to their new country. It's also a powerful marker of integration and acculturation."
Indeed, by 2016, South Asian communities in Edmonton had reached 80% homeownership — well above the 70% average across the metropolitan area.
Rethinking Suburban Density
Today's suburbs look different from the single-family neighbourhoods of the past. Legal basement suites, duplexes, and multigenerational homes are making suburbs denser and more diverse — both physically and socially.
Jacq Lakusta from Akash Group of Companies, a seasoned sales manager with over two decades of experience, has seen a shift in buyer preferences.
"Before, it was all about single-family homes tailored to one demographic," she says. "Now it's about flexibility — people want homes that fit their families and generate income."
Regardless of the shape or the size, housing in the suburbs offers immigrant families a place for communal living and care.
"For newcomers, these homes are not just shelter," Dr. Agrawal notes. "They are containers for culture, care, and connection — places where extended families can live, gather, and grow together."
A Tapestry of Connections
As communities grow more diverse, so too does the physical and cultural fabric of South Edmonton. It is not just housing — it is halal butchers and Punjabi meat shops, gurdwaras and mosques, spice kitchens and seniors' prayer rooms.
Harman Kandola, Vice President of Victory Homes and a lawyer by trade, remembers what community felt like growing up in southeast Edmonton.
"As a kid, I'd visit Millbourne Market Mall to go to the Edmonton Mennonite Centre," Kandola says. "I watched as Sikh families, like mine, helped revitalize neighbourhoods — not just socially, but economically."
He points to the vibrant local economy built by newcomers: grocery stores, salons, restaurants, and services that reflect the people who live there.
Jacq agrees: "Choosing a neighbourhood isn't just about affordability. It's about finding familiarity — language, schools, services, traditions. People want to feel seen and supported."
Whether it is French-speaking families near Beaumont or South Asians in Millwoods, location choices often hinge on proximity to places of worship, cultural centres, or even a good local grocer.
More Than Just Housing
Harpreet Toor, President of Active Homes, did not begin her career in construction. She was a nurse, her husband a computer programmer. After the events of 9/11, both struggled to find work in their fields. Her husband transitioned into real estate — and quickly noticed a gap.
"He kept seeing clients who couldn't find homes that met their needs," Toor says. "So, we thought, 'why not design them ourselves?'"
Since building their first home, Active Homes now constructs roughly 200 units a year, many tailored to the preferences of immigrant families: main-floor bedrooms and baths for elders, spice kitchens for traditional cooking, extra storage for extended families.
"It's not just about building homes," Toor says. "It's about listening. If we don't cater to the people who live in these homes, we can't claim to be building for everyone."
Dr. Agrawal's research confirms this trend: while newcomers rarely alter a home's exterior, interior modifications are common — adding prayer spaces, improving ventilation, or creating gathering areas for social and religious events.
Building for Belonging
While suburban neighbourhoods today offer far more amenities than they once did, Dr. Agrawal says there is still room to grow.
"We need to make these areas institutionally complete," he explains. That means offering not just homes, but the full spectrum of services — parks, libraries, local shops, healthcare, daycares, and transit.
Often, he says, public institutions lag behind. "The public sector is reactive. In contrast, the private sector has been more agile in meeting the evolving needs of immigrant communities."
Kandola adds that true inclusion requires public-private collaboration — and a shift in mindset.
"We assume we know what people need, instead of asking them," he says. "Imagine if we made space for cricket, or added more benches, gazebos, and public washrooms. These aren't luxuries — they're signals that people belong."
Evolving People, Evolving Places
"There's a stereotype that Canadian suburbs are dull, lifeless, and disconnected," says Dr. Agrawal. "But that couldn't be further from the truth in Edmonton and elsewhere in the country."
In fact, he argues, suburbs are where the action is — ethnic restaurants, faith communities, festivals, and family gatherings. They are where newcomers are adapting the built environment to meet their cultural, social, and economic needs.
"You can't engineer where people want to live," he says. "You can only build to support it."
This story is part of BILD Edmonton Metro's Urban Growth Case Study, a report that underscores that urban growth in Edmonton is not only necessary to accommodate new arrivals – it is a powerful economic driver for the city. This report includes recommendations for how the City of Edmonton and the development industry can work together to welcome an additional one million residents, in alignment with the City's long-term vision as outlined in The City Plan. Download the report.