MARKET LANDS URBAN ENGAGEMENT
Public Safety Building, Winnipeg, Manitoba
PUBLIC CITY developed an urban engagement strategy, in collaboration with Blueprint, for the Market Lands site in downtown Winnipeg, where the Public Safety Building and Civic Parkade currently exist. A vibrant site mural, painted benches, and a matching container kiosk were the main attractions introduced at the once underused plaza, while a series of nearby graphics and installations encouraged passers by to visit the site, starting conversations about what Market Lands could become. A series of design charrettes and stakeholder workshops were facilitated by PUBLIC CITY and Blueprint, where participants were given a site map and building cut outs, representative of the current infrastructure at Market Lands. During the Winnipeg Fringe Festival and Nuit Blanche, the Market Lands plaza was alive and active with people and installations that attracted more curiosity about the site and its future development. Following the implementation of public engagement strategies focused on the future of Market Lands, a set of urban design guidelines, which reflect the results of the initiative, were developed and presented as the Market Lands Urban Design Framework.
The Market Lands Urban Design Framework Plan that was developed to shape the future development of the site of Winnipeg’s Public Safety Building. The principles embedded in this framework strive to find the balance between public aspirations and environmental conditions, keeping the overall feasibility of potential redevelopment in mind.
The principles that shaped the Urban Design Framework Plan are conceptual gestures that will redefine the site, establishing an identity for the space with a character that complements the context of the Exchange, giving the Market Lands a quality and a presence that is distinct. The principles establish stronger physical connections to Old Market Square, embrace natural sight lines that mend the seams between areas, provide purposeful movement corridors through the site, clearly define the site edges, and encouraging density where needed.
