Victoria_Park_Re port Final.pdf - City of Charlottetown

Final Report • June 2013
VICTORIA PARK COMPREHENSIVE MASTER PLAN
Study Commission
This report was prepared by Ekistics Planning and Design, in association with
Form:Media, SNC-Lavalin, Davis MacIntyre & Associates, Eastpoint Engineering, and
Dr. Peter Duinker, and is the culmination of a six-month long iterative planning and
design process commissioned by the City of Charlottetown. The resulting Victoria
Park Comprehensive Plan is reflective of the ideas and community dialogue heard
throughout the process. The vision for the plan came into focus during a series of
public events, focused interviews, and other public engagement activities where
participants identified and agreed upon the primary values of the site, and the critical
community needs that must be addressed in the future. The need for residents,
the City, and the Province to come together and work collectively towards similar
goals was seen as the best way to move a vision forward. This collection of voices
ultimately spoke to the need for an overarching plan that would allow the community
to champion their ideas and vision for the Park, ensuring its longevity and vitality in
the future.
Study Process
This study was organized into five phases that were framed around a public engagement
process, and designed to generate a comprehensive plan for maintaining and managing
Victoria Park’s future; a plan that is reflective of its status as Prince Edward Island’s
premiere public park.
Phase One: Understanding
Phase One began with a project inception meeting in December, 2012, where the
consulting team met with the Steering Committee to review the timeline, deliverables,
and protocol for the study. The steering committee was comprised of City staff,
representatives of the Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Advisory Committee (PRLA), and
elected officials. Policy information, past studies, and base mapping were thoroughly
reviewed to inform the study process.
At the end of phase one, an opportunities and constraints exercise was completed, as
well as a best practices examination, looking at precedent and design standards for
major urban parks. A summary of the best practices and precedent review is included in
chapter two of this report.
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