Urban Design Guidelines for Greenfield Neighbourhoods

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Figure Locations
Figure 1a: Ottawa Figure 37a: Calgary
Figure 2a: Ottawa Figure 37b: Montreal
Figure 3a: Ottawa (source: Fotenn Consultants Inc) Figure 38a: Oakville
Figure 3b: Ottawa Figure 38b: Ottawa
Figure 4a: Ottawa Figure 39a: Ottawa
Figure 4b: Wilmington, North Carolina (source: http://www.cyburbia.org/) Figure 39b: Markham
Figure 5a: Ottawa Figure 40a: Ottawa
Figure 5b: Ottawa Figure 40b: Markham
Figure 6a: Ottawa (Kanata) Figure 41a: Ottawa
Figure 6b: Renfrew (source: Fotenn Consultants Inc.) Figure 41b: Ottawa
Figure 7b: Ottawa Figure 42a: Ottawa
Figure 8a: Ottawa Figure 42b: Montreal
Figure 9b: Baltimore, Maryland Figure 43a: Ottawa
Figure 10b: Orlando, Florida (source: http://www.cyburbia.org/) Figure 43b: Ottawa
Figure 11b: Oakville Figure 44a: Ottawa
Figure 12b: Ottawa Figure 44b: Ottawa
Figure 13b: Ottawa Figure 45a: Ottawa
Figure 14b: Source: Fotenn Consultants Inc. Figure 45b: Ottawa
Figure 15b: Montreal Figure 46a: Oakville
Figure 16b: Ottawa Figure 47a: Mississauga
Figure 17b: Ottawa Figure 47b: Calgary
Figure 18b: Gatineau Figure 48a: Ottawa
Figure 19b: Markham Figure 49a: Ottawa
Figure 20b: Markham Figure 49b: Ottawa
Figure 21a: Ottawa Figure 50a: Ottawa
Figure 22b: Ottawa Figure 50b: Ottawa
Figure 23a: Ottawa Figure 51a: Portland
Figure 23b: Ottawa Figure 51b: US Environmental Protection Agency
Figure 24a: Montreal Figure 52a: Ottawa
Figure 24b: Ottawa Figure 52b: Richmond ON (source: The Planning Partnership)
Figure 25a: Ottawa Figure 53a: Ottawa
Figure 25b: Calgary Figure 53b: Calgary
Figure 26a: Montreal Figure 54a: Ottawa
Figure 27a: Vancouver Figure 55a: Ottawa
Figure 27b: Ottawa Figure 55b: Ottawa
Figure 28a: Ottawa Figure 56a: Ottawa
Figure 28b: Rochester Hills, Michigan (source: Bousfields Inc.) Figure 56b: Gatineau
Figure 29a: Ottawa Figure 57a: Ottawa
Figure 29b: Ottawa Figure 57b: Ottawa
Figure 30a: Portland Figure 58a: Montreal
Figure 30b: Ottawa Figure 58b: Gatineau
Figure 31b: Ottawa Figure 59a: Ottawa
Figure 32a: Ottawa Figure 59b: Ottawa
Figure 32b: Ottawa Figure 60a: Halifax
Figure 33a: Ottawa Figure 60b: Calgary
Figure 33b: Ottawa Figure 61b: Ottawa
Figure 33c: Ottawa Figure 62a: Ottawa
Figure 34a: Markham Figure 62b: Markham
Figure 34b: Calgary Figure 63a: Ottawa
Figure 35a: Ottawa Figure 63b: Montreal
Figure 35b: Calgary Figure 64a: Markham
Figure 35b: Calgary Figure 64b: Ottawa
Figure 36a: Madison, Wisconsin (source: http://www.cyburbia.org/) Figure 65a: Ottawa

Glossary

Amenity: something that contributes to an area’s needs, whether social, environmental, or cultural.

Articulation: architectural detail that gives a building interest and added richness.

Brownfields: abandoned, vacant, or underutilized commercial and industrial properties where past actions have resulted in actual or perceived environmental contamination, and/or derelict, deteriorated or obsolete buildings.

Built form: buildings and structures.

Building height-to-street width: the ratio between the height of a building to the width of the street right-of-way, used in analysing the sense of enclosure of a street.

Community Park: A large park that serves the needs of the broader community and that is designed primarily for providing active and structured recreation opportunities.

Compatible/Compatibility: when the density, form, bulk, height, setbacks and/or materials of buildings are able to co-exist with their surroundings.

Curb cut: a break in the curb for vehicular access from the street onto a property.

Façade: the principal face of a building (also referred to as the front wall).

Frontage: the front of the property facing the street.

Front yard: the space between the property line and the front wall of a building facing the public street.

Glazing: clear or lightly tinted glass windows.

Greenfields: large undeveloped lands within the urban boundary that serve as locations for new communities or for development that completes existing communities.

Green roof: a vegetated area that is designed to become part of a building’s roof.

Hard landscape: landscape features other than plant materials, such as decorative pavers, planter boxes, fences, or retaining walls.

Landscaped buffer: a landscaped area located along the perimeter of a lot intended to screen or separate land uses and lessens the visual or sound impacts.

Neighbourhood Park: a smaller park that serves the immediate needs of the surrounding neighbourhood or sub-neighbourhoods and that is designed primarily for non-structured recreation activities.

Pedestrian scale: a size of a building or space that a pedestrian perceives as not dominating or overpowering.

Pedestrian travel route: the unobstructed portion of the sidewalk.

Pocket Park: the smallest type of park that serves the most immediate recreation needs of a sub-neighbourhood and that are often designed for small children.

Primary Street: the street with a higher traffic volume where two streets intersect.

Property line: the legal boundary of a property.

Public realm: the streets, lanes, parks and open spaces that are available for anyone to use.

Rapid Transit: A convenient, fast, and frequent public transportation service that features a high carrying capacity.

Right-of-way: a public or private area that allows for passage, such as freeways, streets, bicycle paths, alleys, trails, or pedestrian walkways.

Scale: The relative size of an object when compared to others of its kind, to its environment, or to humans.

Secondary Street: the street with a lower traffic volume where two streets intersect.

Sense of enclosure: when buildings physically define public spaces particularly through proportions between height and width in an area to create places that are comfortable to pedestrians.

Setback: the required distance from a road, property line, or another structure, within which no building can be located, with the exception of permitted projections.

Sidewalk: unobstructed concrete pedestrian travel route in the public right-of-way.

Soft landscape: landscape features of plantings, such as trees, shrubs, vines, perennials and annuals.

Stormwater management area: a feature or facility for stormwater flows intended for capture and water quality improvement, including such elements as watercourses or management ponds.

Streetscape: the overall character and appearance of a street formed by elements and features that frame the public street, such as building façades, street trees and plants, lighting, furniture, or paving.

Trail: a route for non-motorized travel through natural areas or greenspaces

Urban design: the physical design of places and their components.

Walkway: a route for non-motorized travel on public or private property outside of the public street right-of-way.