Winnipeg inSight: compendium of Winnipeg planning literature

Abstract

Urban planning remains one of the biggest challenges and opportunities for cities and citizens alike, with broad implications for living conditions and the surrounding environment. The City of Winnipeg has been confronted by many ofthe same planning concerns faced by other North American cities, although there have been a number of innovative and sometimes unique local planning efforts. Among the more important concerns faced by this city are a growing suburban area and an increasingly deserted downtown, neighbourhood decay and an aging inner core housing stock, increasing poverty and community distress, housing affordabilty and the need to preserve the city's inventory of heritage buildings and satisfy transportation demands. In the post-war period, a variety of reports and studies have been produced by public and private sources Qncluding academic and student researchers) related to urban planning in Winnipeg. They focus on topics such as community renewal and revitalization, downtown development, heritage districts, housing, land use, parks, the Winnipeg region/fringe and transportation. During this period, planning moved from a technical land use function to a greater focus on community based participation and concern for the environment. This growing mass of documents has much to offer to professional planners, government decision-makers, students and community groups both in the city and elsewhere. As present and future planning initiatives are debated, these documents are a valuable legacy. A variety of planning-related literature reviews relevant to Winnipeg have appeared. However, only a handful of publications have attempted to create a comprehensive bibliography or listing of documents that pertain to urban planning in Winnipeg. This publication is the most recent attempt to create a Winnipeg planning bibliography. It recognizes the scope of urban planning and the vast quantity of documents related to urban planning that exist. Each document represents a contribution to the larger picture of planning in Winnipeg and to varying degrees, each provides important information and insights. This publication's goal is to identify reports and other literature over the last three decades, although there was some attempt to locate documents dating back almost 50 years to the immediate post-war period. It is intended for use by government departments, planning practitioners/professionals, community groups, academics, students and the general public. As it builds on past efforts, this publication also opens the door for similar future efforts.