Winnipeg as Northern Ecocity
Instructor: Frits van Loon
EVLU 4014
Year 4 Environmental Design
Landscape and Urbanism Design Studio
This course has its focus on the most complex of territorial contexts for landscape architectural praxis: the urban realm. This complexity is visible in the range of interpretations of the term ‘urban landscape’: from the constructed spaces within the city to the architectural expression of the underlying landscape form; from the open space (unbuilt) structure, which surrounds and penetrates the city, to the form and representation of nature in the city; and from the political and cultural identity of cities to their environmental and ecological functioning.
The assignment of this course is to design a new residential area, along the Red River, North of Winnipeg, South of Selkirk, on the West bank, within the context of the Regional Growth and Servicing Plan 20/50.
The thematic focusses are the urban metabolic processes / ecosystem services within the setting of urban blue/green structures and their spatial and functional context. This way creating meaningful open public spaces for social interaction and cultural life, in balance with flora and fauna.
The design is a spatial, landscape architectural design, focussing on the green and blue structure, showing:
- its relationship, both functionally and spatially, to Winnipeg, the Red River North and the rest of the landscape
- the way this new neighbourhood functions
- the new desired social structures it provokes
- the way the area smells, feels and makes you move
The design is based on vison of the future for this part of the world, where the neighbourhood plays an important role in making the metabolic flows of the city sustainable.
Jia Garcia
Camryn Klassen
Jas Singh
Myles O'Toole
Kara Tinkler
Jia Garcia
GREEN-BLUE-FUTURE
Jia is an ED4 L+U student who is interested in the topics of biodiversity, community, connection, and coexistence when it comes to designing a space. Her passions, including graphic design, photography, and collage all aid her design work.
The main objectives of the project was to create a healthy water system, to enhance biodiversity, and to create a neighbourhood with numerous common qualities. Riparian conditions were added to the water system (watercourses) from drainage lines to river edges to purify water before it reaches the lakes. The addition of greenery in the space aid in enhancing the biodiversity of the space. With a predicted increase of population in the space, various neighbourhood qualities were added which allows new residents an ability to choose what spatial quality they prefer. Each neighbourhood also mimics the same water purifying system that was added at the larger scale.
Camryn Klassen
Green-Blue-Conxtion
Camryn is an ED 4 student in L+U who is interested in working towards restoration and conservation of historical landscapes and buildings and working within natural resource management. With a passion for history, painting, photography, and travelling all inform her design intentions and focus.
The overall intention of this project is to have a community that can support itself and all its inhabitants, from humans to animals. By introducing a node of higher density and mixed-use development to provide amenities for the communities between Winnipeg and Selkirk to grow and support itself. By restoring the wetlands and riparian forest, it will provide habitat for birds and mammals while combating natural impacts such as flooding and droughts and human impact such an agricultural run off. The goal is to move towards a more circular approach for new development, creating not only new dwellings and jobs but also enriching landscapes that provide benefits to the larger blue green systems found within southern Manitoba.
Myles O’Toole
Neighbour Hubs
Hi, my name is Myles O’Toole and I am just finishing up my ED4 year in L+U. I grew up in Ste. Anne, MB but moved to Winnipeg, to take engineering courses at the University of Manitoba. I then found I preferred the design aspect of engineering and switched to the Environmental Design program and I’m looking forward to pursuing my career in Environmental Design.
Neighbour Hubs is a design for the future development of the area between Winnipeg and Lockport, an area lacking housing diversity and density, as well as water purification and storage. Dense residential hubs are created amongst the current sprawling neighborhoods to increase density, provide amenities and bring a sense of community to the area. The hubs are also accompanied with agriculture areas to feed the residents, a spruce dominated forest for harvesting lumber and a restored riparian forest for water storage and purification. Together, these residential hubs and different forests provide a wide range of living conditions suitable for a diverse range of inhabitants.
Jas Singh
Purified Relations
ED4 student with a passion for designing spaces for the future. While pushing the boundaries of sustainable design and planning, focusing on generating user-friendly experiences.
Design a green-blue infrastructure with a focus on purifying water from agriculture fields before it enters the Red River using a series of wetlands to reduce algae build-up in Lake Winnipeg. While creating habitats and recreations spaces that connect the surrounding neighborhoods for a seamless user experience. Introducing new interconnected communities through the use of paths, courtyards, and shared spaces. That also uses a canal water purification system to recycle the greywater within each community.
Kara Tinkler
Re-Sheeping the Prairie
Kara is an ED4 student in L+U who is interested in regenerative landscapes and repurposing materials to minimize waste; this is furthered through their interests in re-naturalization, upcycling, ecology, and art practices which have shaped past and present design projects and intentions.
This project is located 8km north of the city of Winnipeg and explores a future community where essential amenities are in close proximity to dwellings and reduces the dependency on personal vehicles. This progressive neighborhood structure integrates human needs and the needs of all the inhabitants of the ecosystem and aims to mitigate the effects of agricultural runoff on the red river watershed. Through a network of wetlands water is purified and retained in the community of earth bermed housing with re-naturalized urban pastures located within the neighborhood. Greenhouses are a pillar of the community as they are used in food and energy production as well as water purification.