Challenges:
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Land use designation: Large parts of the neighbourhood only have residential uses, which means that people have to walk or roll longer to access shops, services, and transit. It also makes wayfinding more challenging, as there are fewer landmarks and local businesses to help orient oneself and fewer people to ask for help from if you get lost.
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Building form: There are few distinctive buildings to serve as landmarks or help people recognize where they are.
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Open spaces: There are no small-scale, informal gathering spaces in this neighbourhood with comfortable places to sit or socialize with others. The lack of public spaces or mixed uses means there are few people on the street, making it difficult to maintain connections with the community.
Solutions:
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Land use designation: Create mixed-use zoning in this area, to allow for small-scale commercial and retail uses (e.g. corner stores, cafés, small shops, daycares) and low- to mid-rise mixed apartment and retail buildings to ensure there are enough residents to support local businesses
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Building form: Consider opportunities for distinct buildings that can serve as landmarks, such as an easily recognizable library or community centre.
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Open spaces: Consider adding small-scale parklets or plazas, such as by closing one street block to cars and replacing it with a through path for bikes and pedestrians plus seating, tables, vegetation, a little library, and other placemaking features to support different activities in the space.
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