Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Single use zoning was developed in order to eliminate conflicts that inevitably arise with the juxtaposition of perceived incompatible uses. The entrants were challenged to consider and propose mitigating design solutions to these issues.

The brief also challenged entrants to conceive of imaginative new relationships among the myriad unplanned alternative uses that have cropped up in low density residential zones around the Vancouver region. They were asked to question whether this mixing will lead to lifestyles that integrate work with home in ways that are more satisfying, walkable, accessible, sociable, culturally inclusive, healthy and sustainable than single use zoning can provide. Entrants were also asked to consider how a finely grained mix of uses might alter the normal transportation and access needs of residents and to propose design solutions for the adjacent streets and public realm.

Four sites of four blocks were chosen in representative local municipalities: Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, Coquitlam, and Surrey in areas of low density residential zoning near shopping areas and transit. Entrants were asked their preferences among sites and generally assigned their first or second choice. Within the assigned site, the brief required proposals that could be developed on one lot of a single homeowner or on two adjoining lots. They were also asked to imagine how their approach might be expanded, over time, to reshape the surrounding blockface and the full four-block competition site.

Entrants were provided with a framework for their submissions that included project data and urban design, social and economic rationale for the concept. Submissions were to suggest alterations to the local circulation network and public realm, to current zoning and design guideline provisions and to the planning approval process, and innovative legal mechanisms for ownership and financing.

(From competition brief)