For this award winning project, Urban Strategies led a multi-disciplinary team in developing a comprehensive plan for the enhancement of the public realm and urban experience of Canada’s National Capital. The study’s main objective was to create an attractive and liveable downtown, with public and private realms that support mixed uses and foster a strong sense of place. As both a visionary document and an action-oriented plan, the study established a new vision for Ottawa’s downtown core as a gracious and inspiring destination for new residential and commercial development, while articulating how to best achieve the vision through a series of area-wide and site-specific design guidelines. Approved by Council, the Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy will function as the City’s main directive for providing design guidance to downtown developments and has been formally adopted into the City’s Official Plan.
