Revitalizing Wasaga Beach

Wasaga Beach is a historic seasonal community that has expanded with suburban car-oriented values and does not currently have a traditional people-oriented downtown. This session will focus on the bold steps that Wasaga Beach is taking to revitalize a once-thriving tourist economy by recreating a Downtown through people-oriented place-making design. The Town consulted extensively to proactively influencing the direction of higher density growth while respecting small-town values.

 

The Mobile Workshop will begin at the Townhall with a presentation on the Downtown Master Planning process, followed by a walking tour of the area to be revitalized and recreated as Downtown Wasaga Beach.

 

You will learn about the Town’s community visioning and planning exercise that focused on building consensus, managing change and applying progressive planning principles to promote mixed-use, compact, walkable places. Strategies for consensus building and change management will be shared.

 

There will be a case study on how short-term activation of public spaces can catalyze changes in planning approach and garner public support, and available tools to promote development and revitalization. 

 

Key themes include: