CentrePlan 2050

Winnipeg’s Downtown is the economic and cultural heart of our city. Downtown has the highest concentration of employment and is our central hub for innovation and creativity. When Downtown Winnipeg thrives, all of Winnipeg thrives. 

Over the last decade, our Downtown has made significant strides to create a lively and dynamic place for people to live and visit. We want to ensure the pandemic doesn’t threaten the significant progress that we’ve made. 

Goal of CentrePlan 2050

The themes of CentrePlan 2050 are all connected. They all support the goal of CentrePlan 2050 – to get more people living and visiting Downtown.   

To get more people Downtown, for more hours every day, we need to make it easy to get to, and easy to get around Downtown. We need to design buildings, streets, parks, and public spaces that people love, are easy to get around, and where people feel safe. We also need to foster diverse arts, culture, and entertainment opportunities. 

Building from our strengths

We’re not starting CentrePlan 2050 from scratch. There are over 80 plans and strategies that look at our Downtown, developed by the City and key Downtown stakeholders, since 2000. The project team is reviewing these previous Downtown studies and strategies and engaging with community stakeholders and residents to determine which goals and actions to include in CentrePlan 2050.

As part of this project, we will also be creating Downtown Urban Design Guidelines, a Streetscape Design Standards Manual, a design of key Downtown Bike Routes, and design of Graham Avenue.

CentrePlan 2050 will provide the roadmap for the future of our Downtown. It will help set our priorities and actions. It will also ensure ongoing dialogue with our community partners.

Ongoing Downtown projects

CentrePlan 2050 will build on the progress and plans already taking place in our Downtown. Downtown stakeholders are currently investing in exciting projects that will help move us toward the goal of having more people visiting and living in Downtown Winnipeg.

 Development and revitalization projects currently underway are helping green our Downtown and creating safe and accessible public spaces. CentrePlan 2050 can help in the coordination of future investment and development, so they complement these projects and build on the key themes highlighted in the plan.

Examples of key Downtown projects include the Market Lands development, revitalization of Air Canada Window Park, Central Park enhancements, redevelopment of Odeon Park by Burton Cummings Theatre, and engagement on new designs for the public space at Portage & Main.