Building Downtown

Cities with excellent urban design will be more economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable. We envision a vibrant Downtown that competes with other cities to attract residents, businesses, and visitors at a national and global level.

As part of CentrePlan 2050, we will be creating Urban Design Guidelines for Downtown buildings and public spaces. Urban Design Guidelines are meant to provide property owners, tenants, and the design community with a clear understanding of design expectations for projects in the Downtown. While the guidelines will provide fairly specific expectations in some areas of building and site design, they are intended to allow for flexibility in their application. This is particularly important in light of the unique nature of Downtown development and the goal of creating unique experiences within our Downtown neighbourhoods.

The Urban Design Guidelines will:

• Help designers, developers, and residents understand the City’s expectations for good design
• Help City staff evaluate proposals for new development
• Consider our unique streets, character areas and districts Downtown including the Exchange District and Exchange District National Historic Site
• Provide specific guidance on the design of new buildings, additions to existing buildings, and public spaces
• Integrate with the Streetscape Design Standards Manual
• Inform future changes to the Zoning By-law