Elements of Form-based Zoning - Civic Spaces

 
In conjunction with Street Corridors, Civic Spaces help create a strong framework for the urban fabric of the city. They create destinations, focal points and public places for social and cultural activities, bringing the community and the public together. Seamless integration of Street Corridors and Civic Spaces is important to the success of both.

Civic Spaces create a sense of community and identity. Without these spaces, people often feel less connected to each other and their community.

Successful Civic Spaces have many amenities and the opportunity for multiple activities in all seasons. Different Civic Spaces have different purposes and a mix of these throughout the city are important to provide a balance of public destinations.

To ensure Civic Spaces are well-used the following must be considered in their design:

  • a mix of uses/activities within each civic space
  • Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles to consider lighting, design of adjacent buildings, relationship of civic space to the street, landscaping, etc.
 
The fourth key element of St. Albert's Form-based Zoning is Civic Spaces.

Six Civic Spaces

  • Natural Area
    • areas with significant or environmentally sensitive natural vegetation, naturally-occurring water or some other natural feature
    • it may have paths, trails or picnic areas
    • it may be independent of surrounding building facades
    • development must consider its potential impact on natural areas, both nearby and those linked to the development through a natural ecological system - eg. stormwater run-off or a location upstream from some area, in compliance with the City's most current Natural Areas Report
  • Green
    • is an open space that provides for programmed or non-programmed leisure and/or recreational activity
    • it could be either passive, such as picnicking, or active, like sports fields
    • it primarily consists of manicured lawn and trees, is naturalistically disposed and may be spatially defined by landscaping rather than building facades
  • Parkway
    • is a broad, landscaped linear promenade-like open space that divides two lanes of a street
    • buildings along the street shall be oriented toward the parkway
    • predominantly green with soft surfaces and a hard surface walkway down the center
    • there are no permanent buildings permitted in the parkway
    • there may be hard surface components within the parkway
    • walkways and other areas shall be lit at night
    • each block must connect with the next to create a seamless linear park for the entire length of the street
    • it may be interrupted by cross-streets
    • amenities may include benches, informal seating, specialized landscaping, small activity centres - eg. play area, bandstands, lighting, kiosks, public art, water features, large chess game, exercise equipment, etc.
    • pedestrian access is from the adjacent street or the adjacent parkway block and pedestrian crossings must be well-designed and take priority over vehicle movement
  • Square
    • is an open space that is spatially defined by building facades and lined with streets on at least two sides
    • it has a mix of hard and soft surfaces
    • it will include amenities such as benches, informal seating, garbage cans, bandstands, lighting, kiosks, movable chairs and table, public art, water or other landscaping features
    • commercial activity is encouraged at street level in buildings surrounding it and development will be oriented toward the square
    • access shall be primarily pedestrian from adjacent buildings and sidewalks
  • Plaza
    • is an open space that is smaller than a square and spatially defined by building facades with a street lining no more than two sides
    • it is predominantly hard surfaced
    • it shall include amenities such as benches, informal seating, garbage cans, bandstands, lighting, kiosks, movable chairs and table, public art, water or other landscaping features
    • commercial activity is encouraged at street level in its surrounding buildings and development shall be oriented toward the plaza
    • access will be primarily pedestrian from adjacent buildings and sidewalks
  • Pocket Park
    • is a small open space designed for localized uses such as a playground, single small playing court, benches, water feature, specialized landscaping, or community garden
    • the intent is for informal, unstructured, unprogrammed uses for nearby residents/workers
    • the design of the pocket park must be done in conjunction with adjacent buildings, which will overlook and enclose the space to ensure a sense of security and monitoring of the space

 Form-Based Zones
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       Civic Spaces