Dreessen: Plan for Wellington Street shows how to do design

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Ottawa is poised to see one other main funding from the federal authorities, making a dedication to jobs, infrastructure and high quality structure within the coronary heart of our metropolis. This units an amazing instance for a way our metropolis can companion with Public Companies Procurement Canada (PSPC) to be the attractive capital we aspire to be.

In 2021, the federal authorities launched a design competitors for the positioning referred to as Block 2. This full metropolis block is bordered by O’Connor, Metcalfe and Sparks streets and fronts onto Wellington Avenue, instantly throughout from Parliament Hill. In a uncommon transfer, moderately than merely choose one design group with little or no alternative to point out off its design expertise, PSPC short-listed corporations, finally choosing six finalists to develop ideas and current them to the general public.

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In Could 2022, PSPC chosen David Chipperfield Architects (London, U.Okay.) in partnership with Zeidler Structure (Toronto). Their artistic design weaves collectively heritage and new buildings in a net-zero constructing that helps, in the words of Canadian Architect, “characterize a daring new architectural expression of Canadian identification … the plurality of type of these polychromatic buildings represents and celebrates a various nation.”

Now, the venture strikes ahead with the primary of many approvals. To assemble this constructing, two lanes of Wellington Avenue have to be closed, in addition to one lane on O’Connor and Metcalfe streets, needing approval from the transportation committee.

Of such picayune approvals are nice tasks made or stalled.

This must be a no brainer. This street closure must be everlasting. I’ve lengthy argued that Wellington Avenue must be closed to common automotive site visitors and, broadly, our downtown streets might do with much less site visitors, creating higher locations for individuals. Cities all over the world, together with in close by Montreal, have performed this and seen their communities thrive. Extra car-free areas imply locations for individuals to stroll; locations for cafes and eating places to have patios; for artists to carry out; for “low cost and cheerful” issues for individuals to do, like we noticed on the NCC’s Summer season Zone.

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We must always create a plaza for individuals to assemble, to rejoice and to protest peacefully. We must always proceed to make a greater place for individuals and help a greater imaginative and prescient for the town, together with a tram (as proposed by the NCC) and transferring possession of Wellington to the federal authorities.

We have to think about the potential of a welcoming, secure and accessible public realm.

Partial street closures must be authorized. Ottawa’s transportation must be seen as greater than the commuter headache recommended in a recent Citizen article, however as an crucial first step in making a greater Ottawa.

Likewise, Ottawa employees and council must see the advantages of this kind of venture.

A staged design competitors with public presentation of concepts might be used for group centres, libraries, parks and avenue redevelopment. Standard processes imply the town hires one design group, often pushed by the most affordable value. Design isn’t thought of on the Request for Proposal (RFP) stage. If there may be any public engagement, it’s after a design is basically performed and is, at greatest, performative.

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The individuals of Ottawa deserve a greater metropolis. So do the hundreds of thousands of vacationers who come right here yearly.

Our metropolis must be a spot the place designs for parks, buildings and different locations are seen nearly as good investments in making a welcoming, accessible, sustainable metropolis. There may be untapped expertise in Ottawa that would create these outcomes and ship higher worth, saving cash and enhancing our high quality of life. That expertise usually doesn’t reply to the town request-for-proposals course of for a lot of causes I’ve written about earlier than, not the least of which is an absence of design tradition.

Block 2 is a novel alternative to be totally different. We are able to be taught from this federal instance and the options aren’t sophisticated:

— Maintain correct design competitions for public tasks, creating higher worth and fascinating native expertise, giving the general public a voice within the design course of;

— Assume boldly about making a world-class capital metropolis on par with our different G7 capital companions like Washington, Paris or London

— Be artistic about placemaking that isn’t depending on the short-term wants of automotive commuters and tour buses choking one of the essential streets in our metropolis.

We could be a lovely, welcoming and sustainable metropolis. Let’s help federal funding in our downtown, bringing jobs, new workplace house and artistic concepts to make our greatest Ottawa doable.

Toon Dreessen is president of Architects DCA in Ottawa.

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