DISCUSSION
In the recent 100 Day Studio series of online lectures streamed by The Architecture Foundation, architect Tony Fretton, RIBA, delivered a lecture on the work of Portuguese architects Fernando Tavora and Alvaro Siza. Fretton presented the work of Tavora and Siza at the Quinta da Conceição Park, outside of Lisbon. Tavora was responsible for the park's masterplan and the tennis pavilion. Tavora invited his colleague Alvora Siza to contribute to the design of the swimming pool and change rooms. In his lecture Fretton argued that in both designs, the architects appeared to embrace the full realm of human activity in and near the park. This include the industrial docks, seen in the two images shown at left (figures a.6 and a.7). Developing Fretton's argument, this proposal is predicated on an axiom; The City is the ideal location for human activities. The City is not the location of idealized activities. Recognizing this, the proposal retains he rail yards in their current location. If the various statements by CP, KPMG and others remain accurate, a rail realignment of this sort has not occurred in Canada and could cost nearly $500 million. Engaging CP in a presumably less costly clean-up and integration effort might be more productive than continued demands for relocation.
A park is proposed for the banks of the largely retained tracks and yard. The park is to be sloped to act as a tall berm redirecting, but not eliminating, the sounds of the rail yards. Car parking structures can be built into the side of berm so that is accommodated but concealed (refer to figures a.4 and a.5). Development embraces the rail yards without descending into absurd adjacencies; recommended proximity guidelines for development adjacent rail lines and rail yards are respected (refer to figure a.3). For example, the proposed Sudbury arena is located south of Elm Street immediately west of the rail line. The arena's development is supported by revenue from commercial development on the same site and by residential development just to the north on Hartman Avenue.
South of the arena, an urban park supports recreation and is a place for community gardening anf food security. East of the park, a hotel is proposed to support the new convention centre. The hotel features a short rooftop driving range where business people can unwind at the end of the day (refer to board 'c'). A piazza is proposed at the gateway to the arena site off of Elm Street. This is imagined to function like the square at Beaubourg, adjacent the Pompidou Centre; a formally and informally occupied and activated piece of the city. A rooftop bleacher addition to the School of Architecture permits students to overlook this square and to take in the square's activities (refer to board 'd').
LAND USE
The blocks roughly defined by Elm Street, Larch Street, Young Street, St. Anne Road, Frood Street and Durham Street are zoned residential to support new multi-unit residential development with ground floor retail and commercial uses. New buildings are largely proposed in locations currently used for parking or by older buildings of limited heritage value. As described by figure a.3, residential uses are built outside recommended rail and rail yard noise corridors. The residential zone is flanked by commercial office development along Paris Street and Lorne Street. The Lorne Street zone supports the proposed location of the Sudbury Arena. A civic and cultural realm is formed along Elgin Street connected to the Arena site by a proposed pedestrian bridge extending from Old City Hall Lane. The downtown is surrounded by a proposed infill residential zone. This can be planned with support for a 4 storey multi-unit development or by incentives for home renovations; such as granny suites or lot severances. Lot severances support the construction of duplexes for young families, young workers and professionals, and downsizing seniors. It is unclear what role traditional office development will play in the future of work. Developments planned as office could be developed as residential units built on retail and commercial podiums. Zoning by-laws could focus on building height rather than use, for example. A pedestrian/cycling ring road strengthens connections between east and west sides of downtown which would otherwise be severed by the rail lines.The intent is to improve the public realm for pedestrians and cyclists. This can be accomplished by encouraging public parking garages to be constructed under new development zones, freeing up space for the extension of the public realm. Based on recommendations from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Rail Development Guidelines. residential development is not proposed within 100m of the rail yards and 15m from trunk lines. Non-residential uses are proposed as sound barriers, as is the proposed raised park around the train yards and rail lines.
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