Sudbury 2050

Program: Urban design & Master Plan
Size:
Client: City of Sudbury
Collaborators: Sam Tehranchi, Nasim Adab, Siavash Safari
Location: Sudbury, Canada
Status: Competition
Year: August 2020

“I” CITY: Our urban vision for Downtown Sudbury 2050 considers three main things:

Reprogramming lands in Downtown Core

Designing complex, yet user-friendly spaces

Creating strong infrastructure

We believe in “I” city. A city that is International – As per the brief in the website competition, “Sudbury is a city with more than 300 companies exporting intellectual capital and mining products around the world“. In order to enhance and strengthen  city’s ability to continue attracting new businesses and talents, the Master Plan will focus on a design in Downtown Core that will provide a variety of opportunities to encourage, promote and realize such aspirations. This will also be the promise of a much stronger connection to the global economy.

 

“I” City vision proposes the revitalization of the existing Industrial lands by rezoning them to  Regeneration Areas. The proposed land use will result in economic growth and will create in a Downtown Core that is more vibrant, lively and whole, and without doubt a leading international destination for future generations, residents, workers, students, visitors, entrepreneurs and investors.

 

We believe in “I” city. A city that has a strong Infrastructure – Our vision for Sudbury 2050 guarantees a universally accessible and self-sustained city. This goal can be achieved by strengthening its long term industries and existing infrastructures. A new transit hub is proposed as a kick-starter for a stronger connections. A proposed hyperloop system will expedite trips between Sudbury and other major cities such as Montreal and Toronto. Additionally, the proposed transit hub will become the most important intersection/node in Downtown Core. It will become the gateway to a variety of proposed programs and uses for all users alike.

 

We believe in “I” city. A city that is a strong  Incubator – Sudbury’s journey to vision 2050 is proposed to start with an incubator/lab. This space will give people and urbanists the opportunities to brainstorm, test and find answers to the biggest and most important challenging questions in regards to the future of global cities.  Questions and challenges such as modern urbanization, sustainability, mobility, environmental studies and nature preservation. The goal is to create and nurture an urban core that will eventually become the model and a test bed for all faculties, companies and communities around the world. This proposed space will connect professionals and communities to learn, collaborate and co-create together to guarantee high quality of life of future generations.

 

We believe in “I” city. A city that promotes Innovation – Sudbury 205 has the capacity and potential to deviate from status quo and instead of becoming a Central Business District, will be the Central Innovation District. This requires designing spaces that attracts talents from all around the world, which will also make Sudbury 2050 an accessible hub for modern innovation.

 

We believe in “I” city. A city that has a strong Identity – This new urban vision will connect the city of Sudbury to the global culture by enhancing and celebrating its First Nation’s culture, history, rituals. This identity can also be strengthened by the important local culture, food, ceremonies and history of the city.

 

We believe in “I” city. A city that is Intelligent – The future of Sudbury will be intelligent. It can be achieved by using existing resources in the most efficient way and welcoming new, environmentally friendly technology into its urban environment.

 

We believe in “I” city. A city that promotes Integration – Sudbury 2050 will promote physical and transportation integration by removing barriers and creating excellent design. It will also promote social integration by providing different facilities and opportunities for a broad audience from different communities.

 

We believe in “I” city. A city that is Inclusive – Sudbury will continue to be an inclusive city. A city that celebrates diversity and provides opportunities for people from different cultures, genders, ages and physical conditions. We believe Inclusiveness will make any city, anywhere, stronger and more prosperous for everyone.

 

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Our Spatial Design conception consists of two contrasting systems:

System 1: mound building- fluid program

Inspired by First Nation’s culture, history and their meaningful connection to land and nature, as well as their spiritual traditions, this element not only reflects and celebrates the rich history the First Nation, but will also become the grand physical gesture, a graceful monument in Downtown Core . This form will also thrive to provoke a sense of curiosity and exploration for the residents and visitors of the city.

The foundation of this system lies on a green roof structure that traces the geometry of the rail yards as well as the First Nation’s mound construction.  The proposed green mound will bridge over the railway, will remove barriers and will create a strong connection with the rest of the city. It will also generate a network of diverse uses that will be linked to each other by this unifying ecological infrastructure.

System 2: shelters- rigid program

This system is based on the existing city grid. A number of city blocks with mixed-used designation (retail, residential and office with active uses at grade) are dispersed throughout Downtown Core. This will guarantee lively, safe, usable urban frontages. The modular and block shape of the buildings, with their different material/color is reminiscent of the train cars. As the city grows, the dispersal will eventually go beyond the planned area, extend to other neighborhoods of downtown core, replace the obsolete buildings, and will repurpose the underutilized sites.

Given the current global situation with COVID-19 pandemic, we have learned about the importance of open spaces in urban areas. The Master Plan proposes the concentration of the growth in the central part of Downtown Core. Under this big mound, there will be a variety of uses with occasional openings and access to open spaces. Other soft site in the area have been considered for both infill developments and other forms of open spaces, aiming to create a reasonable balance between between intensification and accessible, public open spaces. The mound itself will become a big open space that can be used as either passive or recreational space throughout the year and during all seasons.

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VISION AND ANALYSIS

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PROPOSED LAND USE

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PROPOSED PRECINCTS

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PROPOSED URBAN STRUCTURE

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