Our goal is to develop communities that have a clear sense of place and identity - to create places rather than "no place". These communities will offer significant value to those that live in them as healthy places that residents can identify with, form social bonds around and be proud of. Collectively, these communities will represent the ongoing development of London as a unique, interesting, creative and outstanding City of choice.

Think of our new communities and ask yourself:

• Are we building walkable streets?
• Are we building great public spaces?
• Are we building communities for cars or people?
• Can someone live in a neighbourhood in different stages of their life?
• Are we building civic pride?
• Are we building a beautiful city for the future?

• Will we attract a talented labour force in the future with our communities?
• Are our we building healthy communities?
• Are we building sustainable communities that reduce Green House Gas and energy consumption?
• Do our communities facilitate social interaction?
• Are our communities distinctive, interesting, diverse, and complete?

• Promote strong sense of community - set the stage for social interaction
• Provide alternatives to the car
• Generate a high quality of life
• Promote sustainability
• Attract a strong labour force

• Promote walking, cycling, transit
• Encourage social interaction - sense of community
• Reduce Green House Gas emissions
• Reduce energy consumption
• Support aging of the population

What is Placemaking?

• Placemaking is an urban design process aimed at creating communities that offer a distinct character, a strong sense of community and a context for healthy lifestyles and a high quality of life.

• Placemaking rejects the subdivision of land without a clear community vision.

• Placemaking embraces the integration of existing topography and natural features into a neighbourhood wherever possible - rather than clearing and grading lands to begin with a "clean slate".

• Placemaking places an emphasis on pedestrians, rather than automobiles, and designs public and private components of communities to support walking.

• Placemaking offers physical environments within communities that offer opportunities for social interaction.

• Placemaking rejects homogeneity and "sameness" and seeks out variety and diversity.

• Placemaking leads to high quality public spaces that are comfortable, useable and functional.

• Placemaking provides a design context for developing private lands that support the community vision and "give back" to the public realm.

Placemaking not only represents a response to smart growth and the desire to make better communities but also embodies a range of methodologies for the design process.

The purpose of these guidelines is to provide guidance to developers, builders, consultants, and internal Engineering and Planning Staff for the development of outstanding communities that offer a distinct character, a strong sense of community and a context for healthy lifestyles and a high quality of life. A policy framework and tools to implement these guidelines will be brought forward following a consultation process with all stakeholders. It is noteworthy that it may be desirable, when City-wide design guidelines are prepared, to incorporate these Placemaking Design Guidelines into that more comprehensive document. In the interim, it is critical to establish these Placemaking Design Guidelines to plan for the type of communities that we would like to define our city of the future.

Two documents were prepared in support of the plan:

• Summary of the Placemaking Plan
• Staff Report #2 - A Comparison of the Conventional vs. the Placemaking Plan

• Staff Report #1 to Planning Committee - Nov 12, 2007
• Power Point Presentation #1 to Planning Committee (P&D) - Nov 12, 2007
• Power Point Presentation #1 to Planning Committee (Zelinka/Priamo) - Nov 12, 2007
• Draft City of London Placemaking Guidelines - Nov 12, 2007
• Placemaking Demonstration Plan - Nov 26, 2007
• PowerPoint Presentation #2 to Planning Committee - Nov 26, 2007
• Staff Report #2 - A Comparison of the Conventional vs. the Placemaking Plan - Nov 26, 2007
• Staff Report 3 - Environmentally Sustainable Design - Dec 18, 2007
• PowerPoint Presentation #3 to Planning Committee - Dec 18, 2007
• LEEP 1 and 2 Staff Report - Dec 18, 2007

Placemaking in Action
Photographic Image Bank

• "A tale of two Suburbs" - March 18, 2007
• "London Reshapes the Cookie Cutter" - March 20, 2007
• "Yes, but will it sell?" - March 21, 2007
• "Yes, but will it sell? Part II" - March 21, 2007
• "Some things Don't Work" - March 22, 2007
• "Some things Don't Work Part II" - March 22, 2007
• "A new way of thinking about community" - Nov 15, 2007
• "Making "places" key to our future" - Nov 17, 2007
• "Designer is essential to the new urbanism" - Nov 20, 2007
• "Light rail system for London Overdue" - Nov 24, 2007
• "Building a Better Looking London" - Nov 28, 2007

• Staff Report 3 - Environmentally Sustainable Design (Dec 18, 2007)
• London Energy Efficiency Partnership (LEEP) Project
  • LEEP 1 and 2 Staff Report (Dec 18, 2007)
  • Volume 1
  • Volume 2
• Innovative Building Technology
• Proposal for a Community Energy System - Application for Green Municipal Funds (Feb 27, 2006)
  • Appendix A - Feasibility Study for a Community Energy System
  • Appendix B - Strategic Suppliers
  • Appendix C - Community Definition and Building Loads
  • Appendix D - Environmental and other Benefits
  • Appendix E - Cash Flow and other Technology Supplier Quotations
  • Appendix F - Project Schedule

The second Placemaking Report represents part 2 of the series which showcases the re-design of the Summerside East community, as established by applying the draft Guidelines, through the charette process. Recommendations are brought forward in this report to suggest a work program for establishing a much-needed framework and new tools for placemaking in London.

Finally, Part 3 will describe the sustainable development (green) components of the project.

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