The Core is designed to revitalize and reconnect Sudbury's Urban Network. The design focuses on three main areas: The Transit Core, The Entertainment Core, and The Community Core, all with a focus on making Sudbury more sustainable. Our plan focuses on offering alternate forms of transportation, building guidelines, energy and water consumption, food security, and reducing waste. These five principles help to improve Sudbury's Downtown by bringing more people into the core and striving to meet the City's 2050 positive net energy goals. The Core will rely on community involvement and diversify the City's culture, bringing together Sudbury's Mining & Indigenous backgrounds, and become the hub for Northern Ontario.
The Core puts focus on the pedestrian, encouraging foot and bike traffic throughout the downtown while reducing our dependence on the automobile. To achieve a more pedestrian-friendly downtown, roads have been re-routed, sidewalks have been widened where possible, vegetation buffers have been added between sidewalks, bike paths, and roads. Durham Street has been transformed into a pedestrian street while Cedar Street is shared between pedestrians, bikes, and buses. To create better traffic flow through the core, we have expanded Larch Street beyond the rail yards and converted it to a two-way street. In addition, we have added an extension from Ste Anne Road to College Street. These road extensions were implemented to reduce traffic on Elm Street. The Brady Street Underpass has also been expanded to allow for the addition of bike lanes and sidewalks. Three main parking structures have been added to the downtown. This not only reduces the number of cars in The Core but also encourages walking and biking. Priority Bike Boxes have been added at all major intersections to give bikers priority for left-hand turns. Additionally, bike hubs have been integrated allowing bikers to rent and dock bikes through the downtown. Greenways, parks, and community gardens have also been incorporated. The addition of green corridors connects the various parks, creating a more enjoyable and walkable downtown while also bringing more biodiversity to the City. The Via Rail Train Station has been relocated to the new Transit Core. The new train terminal will allow for the addition of passenger trains connecting outside communities to the downtown. The Transit Core also welcomes a new bus terminal. A park and ride system is introduced within the Transit Core which allows for further use of the public transit system. These additions will allow easier connections between various methods of transportation. Along with the relocation of the train station. The Core also proposes removing a portion of the existing rail yard and re-routing cargo trains that formerly passed through the downtown. By doing so, we are then able to revitalize the area with native plants. This brings additional green spaces to the downtown and remediates the contaminated soil.
In addition to The Transit Core, The Core focuses on two other main areas. The Entertainment Core houses the arena, a hotel and conference centre, retail, restaurants, an art gallery, and the Sudbury Theatre Centre. The Community Core, located at the old bus terminal site, houses the new library, the N'Swakamok Friendship Centre, community food/medicinal gardens, and mixed-income housing. In addition to the three main sites, Elm Place, formerly known as the Rainbow Centre, has also gone through improvements. Elm Place holds offices and educational facilities such as Trillium College, and retail stores have been moved to the streetfront along Elm St and Paris St. As the three new parking structures have introduced many new parking spaces, the existing parking lots have been infilled. These infill projects consist of mixed-income residential buildings with commercial spaces below. Along with the new projects, building policies have been put in place to ensure that new buildings have lower carbon emissions. These policies include a deconstruction policy, a building material policy, community involvement, and building certification. Buildings also include various sustainable and regenerative systems such as solar panels, solar thermal tubes, rainwater harvesting, and green roofs and walls, to ensure they are net-zero.
To create a net-zero core by 2050, we've explored various sustainable and regenerative energy, water, and food systems. All new buildings constructed in The Core include solar panels, solar thermal tubes, rainwater harvesting, and green roofs and walls, etc. Older buildings will also be retrofitted to include these systems. We have proposed the expansion of Sudbury's District Energy system downtown, along with an Anaerobic digester at the wastewater treatment plant, to turn waste into energy. The Core also proposes using Sudbury's mining waste, such as slag and wastewater, to create additional energy sources along with implementing a heat recovery system at the mines. In addition to energy-producing systems, The Core proposes that all vehicles, buses, and trains, become electric by 2030. This also includes all new vehicle sales. To further promote the use of electric vehicles, we have proposed new incentives including EV charging stations in parking structures and lots, as well as priority EV parking spots and reduced parking fees. The Core also proposes implementing a cap on energy usage and requires the use of energy and water-efficient appliances in all new and retrofit buildings by 2030. As climate change is becoming a more prominent concern, food and water accessibility is being threatened. For this reason, the City of Sudbury must develop solutions that will fulfill the agricultural needs of current and future generations in the community. To do so, we have proposed adding community food gardens throughout the core. These gardens will also include Indigenous medicinal plants, which will further emphasize the Indigenous culture within the community. To increase water accessibility, we have integrated potable water stations throughout the downtown for easy access to pedestrians and the downtown community.
Reducing waste is critical to reach the City's 2050 goals. The Core proposes reducing the amount of waste allowed for collection, as well as creating a material exchange facility in the Core. The material exchange facility is a place where individuals can donate or purchase materials such as tires, metals, plastics, woods, etc.
As the core's design is community-based, community involvement will be integral to the development of this plan. Therefore, we have proposed that all new projects added to the downtown include community consultations to ensure that their voices are heard when design decisions are made. Listening to what the community wants will continue to shape The Core into the diverse community it is.
The Core strives to ensure pedestrian safety and priority in the design. It emphasizes the multicultural character of Sudbury while revitalizing the downtown through green spaces, businesses, and housing opportunities. The Core acknowledges Sudbury through its connections to mining, nature, and culture while creating a new vision for the downtown. It enhances food and water accessibility and is the key to a net-zero community. Most importantly, it revitalizes and reconnects Sudbury's urban network.
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