Help Plan St. George’s Square
St. George’s Square is the heart of Downtown Guelph. We have a once-in-a generation opportunity to reimagine how people can experience this space at the intersection of Wyndham and Quebec/Douglas streets. Beyond making St. George’s Square an area that is clean and safe for all, we are looking for your thoughts on the design of the space and how you can see yourself using it in the future.
UPDATE: The Design Lab has now finished. Thank you to everyone who contributed ideas. You may browse the submissions on the map.
Accessibility
Beautification
Events/Programming
Greening/Landscaping
Heritage/Urban Design
Other
Street Furnishings
Transportation
Add trees
Greening/Landscaping
As noted by many, make the urban square for a city going toward .25 million, a memorable, exciting, impressive and inspiring PLACE. Distinct edges, car-free, sitting, meeting, chatting, snacking, looking, and people friendly, where people want to be, and to stay. Requires a leap forward for Guelph, not a cosmetic make-over; a multi-generational, city changing invention!
Accessibility
Heritage/Urban Design
Build a permanent stage similar Yonge-Dundas stage in Toronto.
Events/Programming
Can we make Douglas street a shared space (woonerf) like Carden street? It could be a great connection from the Heffernan St. bridge and Downtown trail/RRT for pedestrians and bikes to get to the heart of downtown, and provide a nice design aesthetic. There’s a chance to really activate this space.
Accessibility
Close off traffic from Quebec St?
Accessibility
Transportation
Closing the square off to traffic is a great idea! Add more green space that can be used for events and patios for restaurants and cafes!
Accessibility
Greening/Landscaping
Consider bringing back the crown – or at least a new interpretation of the crown and/or St. George himself, or the dragon etc… It was an annual event to gather and witness the crown’s lighting-up I’m told! (Click for photo)
Events/Programming
Heritage/Urban Design
Consider the type of businesses you want to invite to the downtown core. Cannabis and pawn shops contribute to a sleazy feel. What does Guelph feel like? Maybe that is the first question to answer, since the downtown area is the heart of Guelph. Vintage, artsy, heritage, bookish, people gathering spots, child friendly stores and areas, places for students to hang out, senior friendly spots all come to mind. More street art, murals, water bottle filling station, dog fountain, bright colours to contrast with all the grey. Children’s play installation. The planters downtown are great and work in the summer, but colour is needed all year around. Less concrete, trees. Slow speeds through downtown, maybe pedestrian overpasses, maybe enclosed for winter. Maybe a redesign of the Old Quebec Street Shoppes Mall, lots of wasted space in there! Accessible above ground covered pedestrian walkways from the new parking place on Wilson to City Hall, the Railway station and the Old Quebec Street Shoppe mall. This would make downtown more accessible. Consider installing “Blindsquare” for all public buildings and major businesses downtown. Accessible and Delivery parking only in the downtown core, special temporary permits available for purchase.
Other
Street Furnishings
Transportation
Create a pedestrian scramble intersection so crossing is possible in all directions. To help reinforce this concept, special paving of colouring could be added to the intersection to demark
Accessibility
Create an all-way crossing including diagonal crossing path like Dundas Square in Toronto (every second cycle of traffic lights, pedestrians can cross all ways and diagonally)
Accessibility
Create fully pedestrian St. George’s Square BUT still allow car traffic to move through. Example London England.
Accessibility
Transportation
Do nothing with St. George’s square. Curb your tax spending ways so that property taxes don’t continue to raise so drastically
Other
DON’T RUIN DOWNTOWN WITH BIKE LANES. Wyndham St. and Quebec St. are easy streets to ride on – if you need a bike lane there, then you probably won’t make it downtown in the first place.
Transportation
Don’t close off the square for traffic. Please stop being anti car, until this city gives us a public transportation system that works cars will be the preferred mode of transport
Transportation
Eliminating vehicles will ensure only those who live downtown will ever visit downtown. Do you really want to reduce visitation that much? Until we have an improved public transit system that makes it easy to travel throughout the city, find a way to keep cars or the downtown will shrivel.
Transportation
Etch Lt. Col. McCrae’s In Flanders’ Fields poem into the pavement the square to celebrate him, our veterans and the cause of peace
Heritage/Urban Design
For people(pedestrians) to naturally flow between St Georges Square and the new Library, the City must ensure that there is natural connection elements, signage, etc. At the moment, a person would feel like the Library is very separate from Quebec St and St G Square
Accessibility
Get rid of planters at front section of the post office
Greening/Landscaping
Give pedestrians right of way at cross walks with clear signage. No traffic lights. It will ensure pedestrians are prioritized while keeping vehicle flow.
Accessibility
Street Safety
Grass would be nice! Lots of dog walkers but no grass for dogs to “go”
Greening/Landscaping
Green space needed. Grass, trees
Greening/Landscaping
Ground treatment of whole square should be different.more events where traffic stops and everyone knows that where it happens
Events/Programming
Heritage/Urban Design
Have a built-in small playground for children so parents can sit and enjoy a patio and kids have something to do (like in Barcelona, playgrounds and patios occupy the same space to make it family-friendly)
Events/Programming
Street Furnishings
I believe encampments of any kind downtown in public spaces like St. George’s Square. These are our our neighbours and we have to find a solution, but a complex problem needs a complex solution and housing in tents in our downtown is not the solution.
Other
I like St George’s square operating with pedestrians, and vehicle (be them motor or bicycle) I believe it isn’t worth shutting down the square to make it bike only or pedestrian only. It’s great bus traffic is at the terminal.
Transportation
I like the idea of the square being similar to a European public square (walk-ability, open space, greenery, and outdoor patio dining). I don’t think it needs to be completely closed to traffic, but it might be worth considering for events or even weekly maybe Saturdays or Sundays during the summer. What about setting up lots of bench+table seating and having food trucks with other vendors as well, that’d be a really cool vibe for downtown during the summer.
Events/Programming
If new trees are planted the City needs to figure out how to keep them alive. This area includes many in-ground planters with no trees – all have been removed. Only the whole the square is better suited as a gathering place with benches and tables
Street Furnishings
Improve bus access and safety with dedicated bus turnouts / pullouts making it very safe for riders, and moving the bus out of the way from traffic (traffic won’t need to wait or change lanes to get around the bus).
Street Safety
Transportation
Increased events/entertainment/street concerts, etc. that are well advertised on social media and elsewhere.
Events/Programming
Is there an opportunity to take down BMO building, and open the connection to new library and condo
Other
it would be great to have more trees throughout the downtown core.
Greening/Landscaping
It would be nice if there were some more trees planted throughout downtown Guelph along boulevards and streets. The annual plantings could be converted into perennial planted beds, so this work wouldn’t need to be done each year. I believe there are enough restaurant patios in St George’s Square and love the downtown music programming on Fridays. More events in the Quebec Street Mall would be interesting to see.
Events/Programming
Greening/Landscaping
It’d be great to find a way to incorporate playground elements (think balance beams, natural climbing structures, etc.) into this square so parents can sit down, have a coffee, and chat with friends as their kids are encouraged to play nearby.
Street Furnishings
Keep 2 hour free parking all throughout downtown
Transportation
Keep 2 hr street parking
Transportation
Keep patios to the perimeter of st georges square to allow for events and gatherings in the middle.
Events/Programming
Keep the family fountain as a central focal point of the square. it is fun and contributes to a colling atmosphere in the warmer months. it is a cultural touch point, it is public art by a significant Canadian artist.
Heritage/Urban Design
Keep the patio spaces for cafe and restaurants!
Events/Programming
Landscape the entire square in a manner that makes it impossible to erect tents/compounds. Large boulders, structures, woody plants etc.
Greening/Landscaping
Other
Less car traffic which will reduce noise and increase safety and enjoyability.
Transportation
Make St. George’s square for pedestrians and accessibility parking only. Everyone else can park outside of the square and walk.
Accessibility
More benches that look better and more patio space for restaurants
Street Furnishings
More greenery and art – professional murals on the many boring building walls.
Beautification
More restaurant patio space
Events/Programming
More trees! Incorporate multiple landscapes. The Village of Yorkville Park in Toronto is a great example of this. Make a place where people want to stay for awhile (drink a coffee, read a book, people watch, play on the different landscapes).
Greening/Landscaping
Much more greenery needed throughout
Greening/Landscaping
Natural playground or playground that is also art
Street Furnishings
No through traffic. This should be a pedestrian square. Look for examples at City of Kitchener (Gaukel St.). Other option would be a woonerf style street. The downtown core should be re-organized around people… not cars.
Accessibility
Open air walkway to connect library to square
Accessibility
Pedestrian-only in the square, like La Rambla in Barcelona (Click for photo).
Accessibility
People need accessible places to live. Access to resources in integral to human survival. Please do not kick our vulnerable citizens out of their homes.
Other
Please consider pedestrianizing the square. Access could still be allowed during certain times / certain types of vehicle i.e. deliveries in the morning or emergency vehicles. Photos as examples.
Accessibility
Street Safety
Rather than a signalled intersection with the poor road alignments that currently exist and make life difficult for pedestrians there should be a large traffic circle/island with trees, landscaping and benches for people to enjoy downtown.
Accessibility
Greening/Landscaping
Relocate fountain outside of square
Beautification
Heritage/Urban Design
Remove encampments.
Other
Remove raised planter areas and replace with patio stone or decorative stamped concrete design
Heritage/Urban Design
Rescue the Blacksmith Fountain from its forlorn location over on MacDonnell and bring it back to the Square! Where it is now makes no sense (it used to be much more visible when it was moved there originally). The Family Fountain won’t mind — in fact you could start a collection! (click for photo).
Street Furnishings
Resolve the transition to the Quebec Street Mall interface – the edge with the giant ramp to the entry is a significant waste of space and makes the mall feel very removed from the square. This condition really inhibits that side of the square and doesn’t allow any use of the massive area of paved surface.
Accessibility
Slow cars to reduce through-traffic
Accessibility
Transportation
Somehow reinforce the actual square that is the square as a design element…perhaps by a patio zone at the perimeter
Heritage/Urban Design
St George’s Square should be closed to all traffic. We have enough streets running parallel that it is not necessary. The streets leading to it are 2 way and allow for turnaround areas. We have to adopt a different mindset about cars.
Accessibility
Transportation
St. George’s sq should be treated as a perfect square, outlined with a different road/sidewalk surface. Make it stand out.
Greening/Landscaping
Heritage/Urban Design
St. George’s Square adjacent: Formalize pedestrian corridor from St. Georges Square, through Quebec St Mall, past West Parkade, to Guelph Central. Possible cooperative with Conestoga, and possible improved connections to RiverRun and East Parkade for improved pedestrian permeability.
Accessibility
St. George’s Square Adjacent: Increase pedestrian permeability throughout downtown. I think there is a really great opportunity to connect the new library to City Hall via a pedestrian corridor. City already has control of about 50%; would need strategic acquisition, registered easement, or some other creative idea to fill in the gaps Green for parks and green median pedestrian crossings. yellow for pedestrian only. purple for bike lanes. orange for on street parking (its not my priority, but note that no parking should be in the square). Would also like to see the square raised to sidewalk height, bollards installed, as would be common in Europe.
Accessibility
Greening/Landscaping
Heritage/Urban Design
Street Furnishings
Street Furnishings
The “sunken garden” (sunken slab) makes no sense. It forces people to go up and down stairs, creating needless accessibility issues, and breaking up the potential uses of the already badly-fragmented space. The retaining walls create unnecessary barriers and make it feel like a pen for humans.
Greening/Landscaping
The entire square needs a place along approach. Definition as a square (surface treatments, facade requirements, etc.) is critical. It doesn’t exist as a formal square in any way right now and this is a necessity. It should have flexibility to close for events. Resolve the transition to the Quebec Street Mall interface – that giant ramp to the entry is a waste of space and really inhibits that side of the square.
Heritage/Urban Design
The entire square needs a placemaking-focused approach. Definition as a square (surface treatments, facade requirements, etc.) is critical. It doesn’t exist as a formal square in any way right now and this is a necessity as the heart of the City centre. It should have flexibility to close for events, with planned workarounds for traffic.
Events/Programming
The redesign of the square is a “once in a lifetime” opportunity – and the City has stated this in the project info so far. It needs to be treated as such, through all aspects of the design and finishing of the project. It should be a high-end, City-defining space that does not merely get tacked on to an infrastructure project but is led by public space designers – proven landscape architects and urban planners (not Engineers). Further, the square should be easily adaptable for the future. What if there is an appetite for less traffic downtown in the future? How does the project adapt to that without becoming a complete overhaul? The final product should be unique and distinct and driven by design of the square, not by the underlying infrastructure or pragmatic issues alone. The work should be influenced by successful European examples, and even others from North America. Despite the often hear “we can’t do that here” arguments, we can do that and it does work – cars and people can co-exist in urban centres with good public space.
Heritage/Urban Design
The sunken patio area is outdated and makes this square seem divided. It would be nice if it were made level with the rest of the square to make the area more visually unified and to increase usable space that is taken up by stairs and ramps.
Heritage/Urban Design
These planters have to go. They don’t do anything other than fragment the space and create a “wrong side of the tracks” that deters people from approaching them
Greening/Landscaping
Think Europe’s public squares! A place for festivals!
Events/Programming
This is Ódena, Spain — much different context, but an excellent renovation of a town square dealing with difficult grading and multiple, potentially conflicting uses, creating uniformity, legibility of the space, flexibility and properly planted trees. (Click for photos)
Accessibility
Greening/Landscaping
This should be a space for people. It is insane that the heart of this space is going to be for cars to drive through and people are going to be kept at the fringes.
Accessibility
Transportation
This whole area needs space for street art: murals, sculptures and colour in general. It’s currently a concrete-covered and uninspired space, and some stunning murals from local and regional artists with go far in making it an alive, inspiring space for events, and daily life.
Street Furnishings
Trees in soil cells throughout downtown
Greening/Landscaping
Vehicular traffic in the Square is not an issue now that the bus transfer is gone and speed is non-existant. However, pedestrian flow could be improved by reinstituting the scamble intersection that was once employed. Closing the Square to vehicles is not a viable option if one wants to maintain business there.
Accessibility
Transportation
Visual accessible connection to the new Library from the square – not doing would be a public space and building tragedy and a planning travesty.
Accessibility
We need more bike parking downtown! 🙂
Accessibility
We need to showcase urban nature in our public spaces. Integrating planting, exposure to nature, and tree canopy (with soil cell infrastructure) is a requirement. An urban square should not be concrete and paving only. It needs to reflect the realities of declared climate emergencies and showcase innovative solutions in the heart of our green City. This is not a place to short change a progressive design. As much as ‘grey’ infrastructure is driving the downtown projects, it is an opportunity to integrate natural blue/green infrastructure (LID, bioretention, ecosystem services, pollinator habitat, etc.). We know these solutions work in our climate and in urban conditions – let’s showcase a better way forward. What should the heart of our City exemplify
Greening/Landscaping
What about creating half a roundabout for the traffic so the pedestrian area is all together, opening multiple opportunities, without fully limiting road access through the square.
Transportation
With the Santa Claus parade having just happened, one of the most magical aspects that emerges in the half hour afterward is how people behave in the streets while they’re closed. People wander through the downtown, take photos in the middle of the 4-corners, gather in the square where cars normally dominate, and the pop up market space and activities create an amazing life in the space. The square should embrace this. How can we plan for short winter road closures for events in the winter or in the other seasons? Specific to winter – we are a winter-city, with a majority of our year in cool/cold temps. What does a winter-city square look like? This doesn’t have to close to traffic altogether (however amazing that would be), but the square design should plan for these closures for events. To reflect this, paving, facades, and definition of the square should clearly identify the boundary of the square itself, through high-quality built form and urban design.
Events/Programming
Would love for this to be closed to traffic entirely for the best pedestrian experience, but can appreciate the challenges that could create with transit or business deliveries. Two compromises come to mind: 1) Time restricted vehicle access through the square (time of day, day of week); transit exempt 2) Straight or Right Turn (no right on red) intersections, which would improve traffic overall because a) driving around looking for street parking would become more arduous. b) Population density to downtown is coming (yay!) and focus should be on non-vehicle transportation. c) reduced congestion because vehicles don’t have to hold up a land while waiting to cross opposing traffic flow.
Accessibility
Street Safety
Transportation
You need to be able to keep cars coming into the downtown area. You need to balance the city for everyone. That includes mature adults, those with disabilities that need cars to get around and those that may need to transport items – like bikes for repairs – to local downtown businesses.
Transportation
