The Urbanism Lab

Running from November 2021 to June 2022, season 8 continues to create spaces where Canadians and leaders in urbanism, design, sustainability, heritage and conservation collectively inspire the future of Canada’s Capital Region.

Over the past seven years, close to 33,000 people have participated in our Urbanism Lab events, either in person or via webcast.

From sharing stewardship to student competitions, and from ceremonial boulevards to shoreline preservation and Indigenous culture, season 8 promises to be one of our most impressive lineups to date!

Building Community in Our Parks

What is shared stewardship, and what does it look like in practice? From user education to trail building, citizen science and storytelling to bring nature to life, this edition of the Urbanism Lab features stories about the ways in which volunteers, community leaders and enterprising nature enthusiasts are engaged in the stewardship of public lands.

The Changing Face of Public Commemoration

In the biggest cities and the smallest towns, commemorative symbols occupy spaces from which they remind passersby not to forget. This Urbanism Lab event turns to the interface between memory and public spaces, and examines how commemoration are evolving over time.

Rolling Out the Red Carpet: The Role of Ceremonial Boulevards

Confederation Boulevard — the NCC’s flagship ceremonial boulevard in the Capital — provides an elegant streetscape for some of the nation’s most important sites and institutions, and is a focus for national celebrations.

This Urbanism Lab event will examine the importance of Confederation Boulevard, and invite experts from elsewhere to share their expertise and insights on the role of iconic and ceremonial boulevards in other capital cities.

Student Design Challenge 2022: cancelled

Cultural Landscapes: Uncovering the Stories of Our Cities

This Urbanism Lab event will explore the concept of cultural landscapes, by featuring the relationship of stories to landscapes and buildings. This event will seek to tell about under-represented communities and themes in cities around the world.

Climate Resilience and Indigenous Knowledge

Shoreline preservation and Indigenous cultural heritage / archaeology are directly impacted by climate change. This Urbanism Lab event will explore climate resiliency along our shorelines through changing perceptions, functions and the design of parks and green spaces, including how Indigenous knowledge can support the preservation and celebration of Indigenous heritage.