Public Realm in Canadian Cities - Developments

[MonctonRad]

Visioning exercise for riverfront redevelopment in downtown Moncton:







The park already exists, but would be revamped to include more activities for people to do rather than just walk their dogs or ride their bikes. Some things like the RCMP Memorial Garden and the skatepark are already there.

The plans show some things like the Gateway Towers in the foreground that are now under construction, and, a major development by Ashford which is in the final planning stages.

The black wedge shaped building right on the riverfront with a plaza projecting over the shoreline is an aspirational new performing arts centre with space either for an art gallery or relocated city library as well. An outdoor performance venue with a permanent stage will be located immediately adjacent to this building.

This was a city commissioned visioning exercise. It was presented last week at an open house that I attended.

[J.OT13]

The NCC has recently redone Westboro Beach in Ottawa. It will be accessible by O-Train in a few years with Kitchi Sibi Station half a kilometer away.

Pictures form hoggytime on Skyrise.



These huts were designed by Jim Strutt in 1966 and integrated in the expanded pavilion.












https://ottawa.skyrisecities.com/forum/threads/westboro-beach-area-redevelopment-project.42682/

A few more from the NCC website.










https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/westboro-beach

[SpongeG]

new park in downtown Edmonton now open

4,954 views 7 Nov 2025
O-day’min Park has been 15 years in the making. The city invested millions in hopes it would bring investment to a downtown dead zone. CBC asked developers if the initiative was successful.

• Video Link

[SpongeG]

is it a manmade beach or natural?

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

The NCC has recently redone Westboro Beach in Ottawa. It will be accessible by O-Train in a few years with Kitchi Sibi Station half a kilometer away.

Pictures form hoggytime on Skyrise.



These huts were designed by Jim Strutt in 1966 and integrated in the expanded pavilion.












https://ottawa.skyrisecities.com/forum/threads/westboro-beach-area-redevelopment-project.42682/

A few more from the NCC website.










https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/westboro-beach

It's a nice project, but Ottawa needs to do a lot more to embrace its river/canal fronts.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

is it a manmade beach or natural?

I think it's natural, but I'm not familiar enough with the history to say for sure.

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

It's a nice project, but Ottawa needs to do a lot more to embrace its river/canal fronts.

The NCC has taken a lead on that with projects like this, Kiweki Point and the NCC River House. They have other projects currently under construction like the Lady Grey Drive project and a new dock by the river below Major's Hill Park.

LeBreton will have a park on Nepean Inlet and the Aqueduct Entertainment District (those are further down the pipeline).

The City is working on something at Mooney's Bay.

Some pretty significant progress overall in the past decade.

[davidivivid]

Quai Paquet in Lévis

[shappy]

Toronto - Draper St. and Draper Park


This has been open for a while but I don't think anything has been posted. Draper St reconstruction with brick pavers and park connecting the street to the Well development (seen in the 3rd pic below).


https://www.instagram.com/shaqpeaz/


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[TorontoDrew]

The Ottawa park looks great! Love everything about it. The Quai Paquet in Lévis is near perfect, all it needs by the loungers are table to put your drinks on and you could lounge there all day. the Draper Street reno and park look great, I believe that cat statue is in honor of a local cat that still lives on the street (maybe still lives).

Draper Street Kitty by Marcanadian, on Flickr

[FrAnKs]

Originally Posted by shappy

Toronto - Draper St. and Draper Park


This has been open for a while but I don't think anything has been posted. Draper St reconstruction with brick pavers and park connecting the street to the Well development (seen in the 3rd pic below).


https://www.instagram.com/shaqpeaz/


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I really love this! 👌

[WhipperSnapper]

I see a sandy beach so more wooden "boardwalks" and less stone pavers would have been nice. Dig those tents.

The Edmonton park is a pretty typical post 2000 park design that creates small, less practical compartments than park designs from a hundred years ago. I'm sure it will be very pretty for a stroll but, I have my doubts it will be as multi-functional for other park activities than strolling. (In the heart of the concrete jungle, that is more important than pretty landscape design)

[J.OT13]

Not quite complete, but here's a sneak peak at the park atop the rebuilt Federal District Energy Plant near the Supreme Court.

Originally Posted by ponyboycurtis

Man... this spot .. might be nicer than Kiwiki Point.

It's not open yet but I just nudged the fence earlier.




I have to wonder if they reused some of the roof cladding from Parliament Hill ? Very cool effect in its current state. Note the already shattered safety glass on the roof.

[Echoes]

That's pretty great.

[zoomer]

It's a great project, I worry about all the glass canopies and railings in today's society. I think of the Calgary's Peace Bridge which had to give up on their glass.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by zoomer

It's a great project, I worry about all the glass canopies and railings in today's society. I think of the Calgary's Peace Bridge which had to give up on their glass.

Yeah, there are often broken panes of glass already, very much like our O-Train Stations. On the O-Train, the lesson was learned (or we valued engineered into something that was an accidental lesson learned) because the glass on the Stage 2 stations are simpler curtain wall systems and railings are now metal.

[someone123]

This is just a small one but it's a good example of subtle changes that add up over time. Brunswick St in Halifax was redone as a "complete street" with protected bike lane and as part of that work, one of the corners of the Citadel was redone and the slip lane was replaced with a small plaza and some landscaping.


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A lot of quasi-freeway car infrastructure was added to areas like this around the 70s. I'm not sure it makes that much difference for commuters, but it really degraded the pedestrian environment.

There is some new public art by the town clock too:


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It's nice enough but I've always found this walkway and asphalt path kind of cheap looking for what it is, as well as the generic metal barriers around the roadway there.

I have lost track of it but there was a drawing from the early 1900s of a plan for a double curved granite staircase and plaza that would have gone up to the clock. It would have been like a second phase from the Grand Parade work that happened around 1890:


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[J.OT13]

A bit of context. Albert and Slater in Downtown Ottawa merge together west of Bronson Avenue as they come down the escarpment. The "merge" had a very inefficient use of space before. The area has since been realigned to minimize the amount land taken by the Albert-Slater "merge", added wider sidewalks and cycle lanes. This is all in front of the new Central Library set to open next year.



The now abandoned "old" Slater space has been taken over by skateboard enthusiasts who built a DIY skatepark. To our surprise, the City hasn't taking it down yet (thankfully). This skatepark has been around for a year now.

• Video Link

A few theories circulate as to why. Maybe the City and NCC are arguing about who has jurisdiction over "old" Slater. Maybe a skating community is easier to deal with that the alternative; a homeless encampment, which comes with garbage and used drug paraphernalia.

This skatepark can't last forever as the land is part of the LeBreton Flats Master Plan. Residential towers and a high school are envisioned for the site. The NCC hasn't released the site for bids yet.

[someone123]

This one is modest but the pavement has been redone from generic concrete back to stone pavers in some older parts of Halifax. Those brick-like stones are what a lot of streets would have been originally, and are still present under the asphalt in some places. The flat part is presumably for accessibility.

In general it seems like older parts of Halifax are getting higher quality public realm finishes now, replacing generic stuff. Those large granite blocks were probably reused from some kind of waterfront structure.


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[J.OT13]

Sorry for the large image.

As part of the lease extension for Kruger Products, the company and the NCC agreed to redevelop a parking lot into a park.

This is by no means one of the NCC's brilliant standout projects, but it's a hell of an improvement from a parking lot. I heard Kruger paid for it in full, so that's great if that's the case.

Confluence Park



Enjoy scenic views of the Kichi Zībī (Ottawa River) at Confluence Park, a waterfront destination located on the Voyageurs Pathway and Confederation Boulevard in the heart of Gatineau.

Situated near several of the Capital Region's most celebrated landmarks—including the Canadian Museum of History, Jacques-Cartier Park, Parliament Hill, the National Gallery of Canada and Kìwekì Point—Confluence Park offers visitors a place to relax, connect with nature and experience the river's rich cultural landscape.

Developed through a partnership between the National Capital Commission (NCC) and Kruger Products, the park transformed a portion of former industrial lands into a welcoming public space along Kichi Zībī.

Visiting Confluence Park

Confluence Park is located at 20, Laurier Street in Gatineau, near the Chaudière Falls. The park occupies a dynamic section of the Kichi Zībī, where swift river currents meet calmer shoreline waters along the north shore.

Visitors can enjoy waterfront views, accessible pathways, seating areas and opportunities to observe the river and surrounding landscape. The park is directly connected to the Voyageurs Pathway, making it an ideal stop for walking, cycling and sightseeing.

Park Features

• Universally accessible asphalt multi-use pathways connecting Laurier street to the Voyageurs Pathway
• Stair access between the park and the Voyageurs Pathway
• Benches
• Site lighting

History

For thousands of years, the Kichi Zībī ("Great River") served as a vital route for Indigenous Peoples, supporting travel, trade, diplomacy and cultural exchange. The nearby Chaudière Falls remain a place of profound cultural and spiritual significance for the Anishinaabe.

The river also shaped the region's growth through the timber trade and later the pulp and paper industry, helping build Hull and Gatineau. Generations of workers contributed to this legacy, including the allumettières, whose activism advanced workers' rights.

The park occupies land formerly associated with the E.B. Eddy industrial complex, now operated by Kruger Products. Once a centre of industrial activity, the site has been transformed through environmental remediation and landscape improvements into a public riverfront park that reconnects people with the shoreline.

https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/confluence-park

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by someone123

This one is modest but the pavement has been redone from generic concrete back to stone pavers in some older parts of Halifax. Those brick-like stones are what a lot of streets would have been originally, and are still present under the asphalt in some places. The flat part is presumably for accessibility.



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Used to look like this. Nice how small interventions can make a significant aesthetic difference.