The City of Saskatoon retained Crosby Hanna & Associates in partnership with Associated Engineering to develop new neighbourhood design and development standards in addition to new municipal infrastructure standards. The objectives for the project were to provide standards for new neighbourhood development that would both increase sustainability and raise awareness of sustainability principles within the development community. A broad stakeholder consultation program was undertaken, and cities from across North America and Australia were consulted during the research regarding best practices. Crosby Hanna & Associates provided the City of Saskatoon with a Sustainability Awareness Tool (an evaluation tool for new neighbourhoods) tailored to local conditions, climate, and regulatory constraints.

Recommendations based on best practices from around the world were made to the City of Saskatoon on topics such as Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), neighbourhood size and form, residential density, transit-oriented development, alternative transportation systems, parks and open space, affordable housing, and sustainable development awareness/evaluation tools.