Report to: Development Services Committee Report Date:
SUBJECT: Urban Design Awards Program
PREPARED BY: Shirley Marsh, Senior Urban Design Planner
RECOMMENDATION:
1.
That the staff report entitled Urban Design Awards
Program, dated
2.
That the Urban
3.
That the next Urban
4. And that Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Not applicable
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is to
bring forward an amendment to the current Urban
BACKGROUND:
The Town of
During the course of the award
program, several positive outcomes have occurred. These include a greater public appreciation
for different forms of urban design, a broader scope of recognition within the
GTA and beyond, and the creation of public places and environment to facilitate
innovation in urban design.
However, there were also concerns identified in the 2003 program including the declining number of submissions and the caliber of submissions received. For instance, in 2001, the Town received 33 submissions for the competition, but in 2003, the Town only received 11 submissions. Although the program was well advertised, submissions were not representative of a full range of high quality projects.
Based on these specific concerns
expressed by the jury members during the 2003 awards program, the Town under took
specific changes to improve and refine the program for future competitions. These changes were recommended by staff and approved
by Development Services Committee on
- The program changed from a 2 year rotation period to 3-year to provide sufficient time for a full range of high quality projects to be developed. The 3-year rotation would also appropriately coincide with the then 3-year municipal election cycle which helped celebrate the projects completed during that Council term.
- The
number and subject of the Urban
- Town staff members were permitted to nominate qualified projects in order to encourage strong candidate projects to enter the competition.
The 2006 Urban Design Award program proceeded on the basis of the above changes. Of the 19 submissions, 7 winners were selected in the newly defined categories including Buildings of Significance, Open Space, Design Leadership and Innovation, and Award of Merit.
OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:
The Town of
Based on the 3-year rotation for the Urban Design Awards program established in 2006, the next would potentially take place this year in the fall of 2009, subject to allocation of funding. However, due to the current downturn in the economy resulting in less and slower projects being completed, staff recommend amending the program timeframe from 3-year to 4 year rotation. This would also correspond to the current 4-year municipal election cycle, with the next municipal election being November 2010.
The longer time frame will enable more projects to qualify for an award since there will be more time allowed for projects to be proposed and built. This will also help increase the quality of the projects submitted since there will be a larger pool and greater diversity of submissions to select from.
Overall, the recommended amendment
will help improve the quality and quantity of submissions and better align the
program with the design and strategic objectives of the Town and with the
celebration of projects reflecting each 4-year term of Council.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS AND TEMPLATE: (external link)
The budget for the 2010 Urban
HUMAN
RESOURCES CONSIDERATIONS
Not applicable
ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PRIORITIES:
Design Excellence Program promotes and rewards projects in many areas of the Town’s strategic priorities including Growth Management, Transportation/Transit, Environmental Sustainability, Parks and Recreation, Diversity, and Accessibility.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
Not applicable
RECOMMENDED BY:
________________________ ________________________
Ronji Borooah, Jim Baird, MCIP, RPP
Town Architect Commissioner of Development Services
ATTACHMENTS:
Not applicable