Game still on at Ottawa's Lansdowne Park

Ever since we launched our proposal to hold a design competition for the revitalization of Lansdowne Park, the city has been abuzz with ideas about what to do with Lansdowne. Citizens of Ottawa, along with urban planners, architects and even developers, have been excited about the prospect of a true competition for the revitalization of an important public asset.
The Ottawa Citizen

The Ottawa Citizen article…

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Doucet and Hume . Game still on at Lansdowne
by Clive Doucet and Peter Hume
published: October 4, 2007

A representative of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada has supported our proposal and offered that “Competitions are considered to be an exciting and effective way to generate public discussion and to elevate the quality of the architectural and urban design legacy we leave behind,” and Nan Griffiths, emeritus professor at Carleton’s architecture school, commented that the idea of a design competition was “a true visionary proposition of the sort that is unknown to this city.”

As we have seen in the pages of this paper, substantial individuals are already putting forward their ideas about the future of Lansdowne Park. As football fans we are excited by the prospect of the proposal to bring back CFL football, but not at the cost of privatizing the canal frontage for condos.

What other city in Canada, from Vancouver to Halifax, would entertain the thought of giving up a legacy property for private development to fund a football team? In spite of the hectares of asphalt and condition of the buildings, it is important to remember that Lansdowne Park was bought for public purpose in 1868 and has remained so ever since.

Nevertheless, it is not our job or wish to diminish any of the ideas that are brought forward. Quite to the contrary, we have consistently said that any idea that fits the competition’s guidelines is worth considering.

City council has an important responsibility to ensure that changes to important public spaces and assets such as Lansdowne Park are undertaken in a careful, deliberate and transparent manner. Considering a single proposal conceived without the benefit of public input and without the benefit of a competitive process does not meet the test of responsible stewardship of public assets.

It is important that both the public and private sector have confidence in the competitive process we are proposing. A sole-source proposal doesn’t meet these criteria, either. But it is important to maintain the excitement and momentum that have been created in the last several weeks and that is why we believe that council must decide on the winning design or proposal by no later than one year from now.

So how will our competition work?

In the broadest terms we are proposing a two-stage open process. The overall competition is guided by a series of principles that will ensure the winning design respects the basic character, history and public nature of the park. These principles range from keeping Frank Clair Stadium and the Civic Centre Arena to providing redevelopment opportunities via a commercial promenade with a gateway into Lansdowne Park on the Bank Street frontage. And on the canal side, providing, for the first time in generations, a vibrant, green connection to the city’s principal tourist and local attraction, the Rideau Canal.

Stage One would be the creation of the project and capital budget. This element would include what the competition will cost and how much the city is prepared to invest in the revitalization. We already know that it will cost $5 million to replace the south-side stands and we believe that these funds should be available to begin the implementation of the winning proposal.

The second element is public consultation, the preparation of background documents and the creation of a competition brief. Experience in other jurisdictions shows us that the foundations of good design competitions are strong public consultations that determine the community interest. This community perspective will provide the foundation upon which the design team will work and bring to the community the bold and creative proposals for the revitalization of Lansdowne Park.

The third element would be a request to qualify the design teams—the international design community, including professional architects, landscape architects, urban planners and engineers, who would be invited to submit, during Stage Two, their ideas for the revitalization of Lansdowne Park.

Stage Two, of course, will be the evaluation process for selecting, from among the qualified finalists, a winning design team and design concept.

We believe that through a design competition, we will create the opportunity to improve and enhance Lansdowne Park, while respecting the unique heritage and community qualities of the site. The winning design should foster a renewed sense of civic pride among the residents of Ottawa for their park and inspire citizens and their city council to adopt bold and creative changes for the site.

There’s no reason Lansdowne Park can’t become the kind of place that brings renown to our city, as Stanley Park brings to Vancouver, Point Pleasant Park brings to Halifax and Harbourfront brings to Toronto.

Clive Doucet and Peter Hume are Ottawa city councillors.