Dundas-King Pedestrian Mid-block Connection: A Downtown Public Space Concept

Last semester we were asked by our professor to create an independent project that would be one of the key pieces in our portfolios. As I am interested in Urban Design, urban renewal and I am active in the revival of downtown London, naturally I chose to do a concept project for the downtown.

I realized that the downtown lacks in quality urban spaces to entertain those who live in the core and those who are there to shop and visit.

I looked at the available spaces to create an interesting public space and narrowed it down to two, the parking lots between Dundas Street and King Street, and King Street and York Street [Site 1]. This would create an direct pedestrian mid-block connection between Dundas Street and the VIA train station on York Street; and the other site was the parking lots at Richmond Street and Carling Street [Site 2].

Listing the pro’s and con’s of each site I chose to do the midblock connection, however because of time constraints I could only do the portion between Dundas and King.

Realizing that this is an existing parking lot, that is usually full on weekdays, it would be important to re allocate the parking somehow. My solution to this is that there would be a public private partnership to build a mix use parkade between the midblock connection and Clarence and King and the existing buildings along clearance. My Concept poster shows the new building having retail at grade with a false second floor or it could be office space or apartments.

(Click for larger images)

Check out the 3D walkthrough of the space..

let me know what you think? Would you use this space? Is this something that would attract people to the downtown?

*JrUD

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