ELABORATION

Mindful of its role as the Capital of the Province, downtown Victoria is the economic generator for the City and region. It will maintain its status as the metropolitan centre for business, culture, governance, arts, tourism, and people.

GOALS

1. To promote a business friendly environment that acknowledges the importance of commerce
2. To create a very alive downtown that welcomes residents and visitors
3. To enhance character and use-based precincts (e.g. Old Town, Chinatown, entertainment)
4. To foster transportation and communication connections with the region
5. To reinforce downtown Victoria as the seat of government and the provincial capital
6. To encourage activities focused on the arts and culture to bring people to downtown
7. To acknowledge the importance of a working harbour adjacent to downtown

ELABORATION

Victoria's distinctive human, artistic, cultural, historic and natural attributes contribute to a unique sense of place. Contributing elements are the compactness, walkability, connectivity, public spaces and the relationship of the built environment with the harbour. Features that are frequently mentioned include the beautiful setting with its sheltered harbour, surrounding waterways and mountains against the backdrop of Old Town. There is growing recognition that downtown is a series of character areas that flow into one another and the quality and characteristics of the built environment change as you move through the various areas. Creatively building on these existing characteristics is critical in maintaining and further developing the special quality of Victoria's downtown.

GOALS

1. To encourage new development that is contextual and has interest close up and far away
2. To continue to conserve heritage and cultural elements downtown
3. To encourage the development of public and private spaces within new developments
4. To develop an exciting skyline and ensure high quality views of the water from desirable locations
5. To support uses that provide street level animation
6. To maintain architecturally beautiful and unique buildings and spaces and ensure that new development complements the existing built environment and contributes to a high quality public realm
7. To ensure that downtown is an amenity rich environment
8. To integrate greenways and encourage the planting of trees and flowers downtown to support Victoria's image as a Garden City.

ELABORATION

Downtown is a place for all people. People are able to equitably access services, public spaces and social/economic opportunities in downtown. A broad range of uses are found downtown from commercial to residential, arts and culture to government and many uses in between. Downtown includes the necessary services and social supports to live, work and play within a compact environment that balances conflicting needs, demands and uses.

GOALS

1. To realize a place that is fun and interesting for all ages
2. To celebrate a diverse and multicultural population
3. To sustain strong and supported social service agencies across the downtown
4. To create a safe and comfortable downtown for all users
5. To maintain a population mix that is able to support a healthy and vibrant 24 hour downtown

ELABORATION

Downtown will lead the region in learning, environmental, social, economic and aesthetic infrastructure. There is a critical mass of organizations, institutions and businesses that create formal and informal knowledge.

GOALS

1. To promote downtown as a vibrant learning community
2. To reinvent key public institutions like the library and conference centre as anchor to a learning commons
3. To act as a showcase for economic, environmental, social and governance innovations
4. To support downtown as a place of knowledge creation and sharing
5. To provide leadership that supports the development of cultural infrastructure and activity

ELABORATION

Downtown Victoria is an environmental showcase for both the built and natural environments. Downtown is connected by ribbons of green and blue space. Land use decisions take into account both the needs of current and future residents and stakeholders with the intention to minimize ecological impact.

GOALS

1. To integrate green infrastructure into buildings and public spaces
2. To support parkland and greenspace additions
3. To encourage the efficient use of energy and water and to promote superior air quality in both new development and existing buildings
4. To encourage contaminated site remediation
5. To reduce the demand for natural resources in the Downtown
6. To increase density and support infill to make the best use of existing areas and infrastructure
7. To maintain a compact and walkable central area

ELABORATION

There is a direct connection between our physical environment and our health. A downtown that promotes wellness is one where all people feel comfortable on the streets and inside buildings. There are varied opportunities for physical activity and social interaction.

A 'well' downtown contains services that allow individuals and groups to sustain their basic needs (food, shelter, and clothing) and enhances their personal growth and development. Beyond this, downtown contributes to the spiritual, cultural and educational needs of the people here.

GOALS

1. To ensure that a complete range of services that meet the needs of residents, workers and visitors are available downtown—this might include health clinics, grocery shopping, professional services, and more
2. To create a people oriented sense of community
3. To encourage activities focused on arts to bring people together
4. To foster a full spectrum of housing choices including rental to ownership plus affordability are considered
5. To encourage public arts and performance facilities including outdoor venues
6. To maintain walkability within the downtown
7. To foster a vibrant night that respects adjacent uses

ELABORATION

Accessibility means that there is a complete range of transportation options available—public, private, self propelled and motorized. And further that these options take into account the varying levels of ability of people who use downtown as a place to live, work and play.

GOALS

1. To foster choice of transportation modes.
2. To encourage pedestrian friendly ways to connect squares and alleys
3. To ensure that the public realm is accessible to people with varying levels of ability
4. To integrate transportation and land use
5. To maintain linkages with the water and the harbour with the upland areas

ELABORATION

Downtown is a work in progress and will continue to evolve. Although the past can be used as an indicator of the future, it is anticipated that new ideas, knowledge, technologies, trends, methods and processes will emerge and challenge how we conceive of downtown. As conditions change the Downtown Plan should be responsive and be able to meet new emerging needs.

GOALS

1. To create an innovative regulatory environment
2. To support broad-based involvement in planning including the resident and business communities.
3. To support different policies in different areas. For example policies for height and density should be adjusted for different areas and conditions over time