Students in Harmony Square, Brantford. Photo by Dean Palmer, Courtesy of Wilfrid Laurier University
excellent example of the community and university creating new commercial uses at grade in mixed-use academic buildings. Now the downtown has largely stabi-
lized. The City of Brantford has contributed over $16 million in grants and donations to post-secondary expansion, and over 20 buildings are now owned or used by these partner institutions.
CONNECTING TO ECONOMICALLY VIBRANT CENTRES
Through the post-secondary institutions, transportation links and widening com- muter-shed, Brantford is aligning itself within two creative clusters in Kitchener- Waterloo and Toronto. Since the extension of Highway 403, stronger links to the
The post-secondary institutions
were drawn to downtown Brantford because of the offers of land and buildings, but also by the walkable urban environment reminiscent of older university cities
Greater Toronto Area began to grow. When the Province of Ontario passed the Places to Grow legislation, Brantford was identi- fied as the southern edge of the gta. Plans
for a new highway to Cambridge linking Highways 401 and 403, as well as gotransit service, will consolidate the transportation links. Much of this connec- tivity will benefit downtown Brantford, with the via Rail Station and inter-city buses making it the focus of inter-city transportation. The City is now undertak- ing a feasibility study for a new transit terminal/parking structure to support these important transportation links.
DOWNTOWN BRANTFORD AS AN URBAN GROWTH CENTRE
In 2006, the Province of Ontario identified 25 urban cores as “urban growth centres” (ugcs),3
including downtown Brantford. Including Brantford as part of the Greater 23
p l an c ana da | summe r · étÉ 201 1
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56