Markham Centre Charrette and Transportation Roundtable Markham, Ontario DATE
2009
Urban Strategies was retained by the Town of Markham to host a design charrette that brought together Town staff and the City’s leading architects and landscape architects to re-think Markham Centre, identifying opportunities to incorporate additional height and introduce a more pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use urban form. To assist discussion, we produced a 20’ by 10’ model of Markham Centre – spanning from Rodick Road to Kennedy Road, and North of Highway 7 to the 407 – on which the participants recorded their ideas with the aid of our modeling team. Building on the successful charrette, the Town requested Urban Strategies to facilitate a series of meetings, including a daylong roundtable to further examine initiatives and opportunities in Markham Centre East. The roundtable provided a platform for the Town, transportation providers and land owners to gain insight on how transportation infrastructure will be layered in Markham Centre East, identifying opportunities to better integrate provincial, regional and Town initiatives and infrastructure investment with planned development. From the roundtable emerged an agenda of actions and guiding principles that support the Town to envision Markham Centre East as a regional mobility hub, leading employment centre and choice neighbourhood in the GTA.