OTTAWA - The 12 projects receiving 2018 National Urban Design Awards reflect a range of ideas about reclaiming and enhancing public space while addressing challenges such as urban density, environmental sustainability, and affordability.
One of them is Charlottetown’s Urban Beehive Project by Nine Yards Studio, which won in the category for community initiatives. In collaboration with the community, the architects created a destination to learn about the importance of bees in a sustainable environment.
The awards will be presented on Jan. 7, at the Ottawa Art Gallery.
“The innovative Urban Beehive Project shows how urban design can help address, educate, and inspire people to protect and conserve the environment,” reads the citation for the project.
Other winners include an urban design plan for downtown Toronto, making Montreal’s mountain more accessible, a waterfront park in Old Quebec and social activity lanes in Vancouver.
The National Urban Design Awards is a biennial Canadian awards program established by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, the Canadian Institute of Planners and the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects. The program showcases excellence in urban design, raises public awareness of the role of urban design in sustainability and quality of life in Canadian cities, and recognizes the contributions of individuals, organizations, firms, and projects.