Session 1: Living Plan Collaborative Model
A “Living” design and planning tool to accelerate and enhance TOC implementation
View the Session’s Presentation
The Challenge
A problem of organized complexity. Many infusions of new development are occurring on underutilized “grey-field” sites with the common goal to create ’15-min walkable neighbourhood’ and ‘complete communities’. Changes are occurring across multiple jurisdictions each with its own set of technical review tools, protocol, and capital and operational priorities.
Both the public sector and the development industry are ready for change, but the inherited tools available to choreograph the change are limited. Urban design and planning are tasked with turning the city’s vision for its future into a physical place, through articulating the evolution of “The Physical City” in both space and time, while adding value in the process to amplify livability, enhance health, reduce inequality and be the catalyst for change and innovation.
The Opportunity
To accelerate the implementation of TOCs, there is a need for a parallel “unofficial” holistic place-based plan and tools running alongside and informing the review of formal submission tools. A 2D and 3D digital “living plan” and a cross-discipline “TOC Cohort” are created for Uptown Brampton TOC with the goal to:
- Inform and advance interests of emerging studies / trends prior to adoption
- Enhance relationships among active development proposals and capital projects
- Unveil opportunities to enhance placemaking from the outset through thinking outside the contract lines
- Provide context to drive upstream decisions while developing strategies for site-scale implementation
- Provide a shared platform or ‘table’ for an intense multi-party dialogue and co-creation
Background
The Council endorsed Brampton 2040 Vision mandated “City By-design” where design excellence is led by City Hall to ensure community interests, completed through co-design with developers and stakeholders, and made a prime factor in approvals and decisions for change. Rapid transit infrastructure has attracted:
- Over 60 million square feet of high-density mixed-use development to the City since 2020
- Over 1/3 of these high-density mixed-use developments are located in Uptown
- Over 4/5 of these are located along existing/planned rapid transit corridors, within an area anchored by four Rapid Transit Terminals
Since 2020, the City of Brampton has offered Pre-application Urban Design Consultation (i.e. co-design) for major high-density mixed-use development within intensification areas served by rapid transits. Continue enhancement of such service to support development application and capital projects review, as well as informing policy update is part of the City’s 2022 priority.