The Main Street Design Challenge – developed by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) – invites all Canadian to develop solutions that can help build the resiliency of Canada’s main streets.
The Challenge was created to generate responsible, sustainable, and resilient design solutions that can be implemented during COVID-19 recovery, and post-pandemic, for Canada’s hard-hit main streets.
It also demonstrates how design will play a key role in the revitalization of main streets, including kickstarting the economy, fostering vibrant, liveable, and healthy communities, increasing public safety, reducing social isolation, and restoring the public’s confidence to return to streets and public spaces.
In the first of three submission cycles, the competition received seven submissions from architects, artists, and planners in both English and French.
The projects have been released by the Main Street Design Challenge. They include:
Outdoor, Productivity, Eco, Nodes (OPEN)
By: Morgan Dundas, John Homsy, and Lisa Mishko
Spacing Bench
By: A4 architecture + design
Lights On
By: Épigraphe
Living Arts Drive Tactical Urbanism Project
By: City of Mississauga
The Reading Hut
By: A4 architecture + design
Augusta Ave., Kensington Market BIA Public Realm Masterplan
By: SUMO Project, Gladki Planning Associates, Greenberg Consulting Inc., and PMA Landscape Architects
Accessible Outdoor Patio Guidelines
By: DesignAble Environments
The Main Street Design Challenge is still accepting submissions. Cycle 2 closes on August 14, and Cycle 3 closes September 18, with the ultimate product being a free, open-access playbook that contains all of the collected design ideas.
For more information, visit: https://bringbackmainstreet.ca/main-street-design-challenge