| Recognizing West Coast planning proficiency |
Images courtesy D'Ambrosio architecture + urbanism The winning Nanaimo Downtown Urban Design Plan and Guidelines was created using various media, ranging from hand sketches to 3-D digital models. Pictured here is an existing photograph and photomontage of the proposed streetscape in an area that borders on the historic downtown neighbourhood. A community plan for Nanaimo's downtown core and a public process engaging the West Vancouver community were honoured at the Planning Institute of British Columbia's (PIBC's) 2009 Awards of Excellence in Planning. The institute annually recognizes excellence in professional planning work in B.C. and the Yukon. This year's winners included: Franc D'Ambrosio, principal of D'Ambrosio architecture + urbanism, discussed the adoption and impact of urban design in the Nanaimo project. "The City's emphasis on form-based codification of their downtown zoning indicates the increasing importance of urban design in the redevelopment and revitalization of the Nanaimo city centre," he told Construction Canada Online. "The old, relatively crude, and opaque planning mechanisms have been refined and translated into enabling regulations and guidelines more likely to result in a more viable and livable city." The award recipients were announced at PIBC's Annual General Meeting and Conference—the 2009 B.C. Land Summit, in Whistler. 
An oblique aerial of Nanaimo's Urban Design Plan in 3-D showing the proposed building massings, contours, and rights-of-way. The design manual aims to repair and enhance the 19th-century town plan, mix land uses, identify infill possibilities, increase density, and beautify the area.
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