The Urbanism Lab

Waterfront planning: How to bring the water to everyone

The Capital Planning Branch continues to plan for the evolution of the Capital’s riverfront parks. This Urbanism Lab event engages experts in a discussion of planning for waterfront parks and parkways, cultural and heritage planning, and the history of the NCC’s own parkway planning.

Environmental justice from a planning perspective

What role can planning play in promoting social equity from an environmental perspective? From climate change to pollution, the socio-economic distribution of canopy cover, and access to green spaces, this Urbanism Lab event looks at ways that cities have integrated an environmental justice lens to urban planning.

Planning and the pandemic: The responses of cities to the COVID-19 pandemic

This Urbanism Lab event will explore responses to the COVID-19 pandemic from two different perspectives:

• How have cities pivoted in response to COVID-19, and what role can tactical urbanism play in responding to sudden events like the pandemic?
• How can cities plan with public health in mind, and what are some of the likely effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on planning in big cities?

Public engagement with public lands: Shared stewardship and citizen engagement

What is shared stewardship, and what does it look like in practice? This Urbanism Lab event turns the usual format on its head, and invites “ordinary” citizens to take the stage and speak about their extraordinary engagement with public spaces in all seasons. From winter trail grooming to user education, trail building and community gardens, this edition of the Urbanism Lab lets volunteers, community leaders and enterprising nature enthusiasts tell their own story of engagement with public lands.

The importance of story and memory in placemaking and building an inclusive city

Every other year, the NCC’s Heritage Program invites speakers from across the country to present ideas and successful projects in the field of heritage conservation. This year’s edition proposes to examine the role of story and memory in inclusive urbanism, with a spotlight on the following:

• NCC oral history projects
• Toronto Ward Museum’s Block by Block initiative
• Montréal’s Cité Mémoire project

The thinking behind the location, dimensions and vocation of green spaces 

Green spaces come in all shapes and sizes, and make a critical contribution to the livability of big cities. But even their most assiduous users often know little about the decision making behind their creation and design. This edition of the Urbanism Lab takes a closer look at the creation and maintenance of green spaces and, more specifically, at the considerations that inform where they are located, what their shape and dimensions are, and what use they should be geared toward.

Urban Design Challenge 2021: Student competition

Urban Design Challenge 2021 is a competition that invites students from across the country to come up with design concepts for important sites in Canada’s Capital Region. This marks the third edition of the competition, and cements its position as a fixture of the Urbanism Lab’s annual programming.

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 has evolved over time. This event was originally scheduled for May 2020, but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reconciliation and the city: Working toward reconciliation from an urban perspective

How can cities embrace reconciliation? From placemaking to commemorations, employment opportunities and conservation, this edition of the Urbanism Lab explores opportunities to make reconciliation a part of how cities grow and evolve. This event was originally scheduled for June 2020, but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.