Concours inter-universitaire : Repenser la rue commerciale / Inter-university competition: Rethinking the commercial street
2020
-, Quebec, Canada- Planning
- Road
- Street
The worldwide pandemic and the environmental crisis we are currently facing force us to reconsider many aspects of the organization of cities. The unprecedented sanitary restrictions have deeply affected our relationship with nearby stores. Commercial streets, usually vibrant with various events and social interactions, have been shut down. These main arteries, where commercial, touristic and residential functions come together, are meaningful public places that greatly contribute to the dynamism of a city.
The goal of this competition is to reconsider visual, spatial and functional aspects of main streets. Take for example a commercial street in your neighborhood. Considering the new sanitary conditions and the global aim of increasing cities' resilience to environmental change, what new patterns of organization can emerge to shape interactions between buildings and streets? What is the relationship between shops and public spaces, both indoor and outdoor? This competition focuses on two different scales: the scale of a shop (restaurant, bar or hair salon for example) or a public space (library, office), and the scale of the street. How do these two scales come together? What kinds of organization patterns can you imagine to address the current sanitary and environmental crises?
Your proposal must show, with compelling graphics, a new planning proposal for a portion of a commercial street. Two different approaches can be taken: you can choose to work on an existing street, or to create a new one with its own typology, as long as you show how it responds to current sanitary and environmental requirements. Your proposal must clearly illustrate the relationship between the two scales. The length of the street portion you decide to work on is your own choice, nevertheless it must show various possible planning configurations. The evaluation will be based on the relevance of the proposal towards sanitary and climatic issues, the originality of your design and the graphic quality.
(From competition's documentation)
The goal of this competition is to reconsider visual, spatial and functional aspects of main streets. Take for example a commercial street in your neighborhood. Considering the new sanitary conditions and the global aim of increasing cities' resilience to environmental change, what new patterns of organization can emerge to shape interactions between buildings and streets? What is the relationship between shops and public spaces, both indoor and outdoor? This competition focuses on two different scales: the scale of a shop (restaurant, bar or hair salon for example) or a public space (library, office), and the scale of the street. How do these two scales come together? What kinds of organization patterns can you imagine to address the current sanitary and environmental crises?
Your proposal must show, with compelling graphics, a new planning proposal for a portion of a commercial street. Two different approaches can be taken: you can choose to work on an existing street, or to create a new one with its own typology, as long as you show how it responds to current sanitary and environmental requirements. Your proposal must clearly illustrate the relationship between the two scales. The length of the street portion you decide to work on is your own choice, nevertheless it must show various possible planning configurations. The evaluation will be based on the relevance of the proposal towards sanitary and climatic issues, the originality of your design and the graphic quality.
(From competition's documentation)