Apricity: embracing winter placemaking to revitalize downtown Sudbury

Abstract

Much of the urban settlement design in Northern cities is based on Southern design principles, disregarding unique climatic conditions induced by winter, thereby creating inactive public spaces during colder seasons, which also last longer and amplify the issue. Informed by the Liveable Winter Cities movement and placemaking theory, this thesis leverages the specific winter activation of the public realm as a strategy for revitalizing downtown Sudbury. A current lack of urban winter liveability is attributed to the failure of public policy and its encouragement of winter design. The importance of movement, activity and identity in the public realm is demonstrated through the proposal of increased urban connectivity. Guided by winter design principles, the proposed interventions at multiple scales utilize wayfinding techniques to link activated winter programming across the downtown and contribute to a healthier, more socially and physically active community supporting a winter lifestyle.