The City of London Council adopted Master Plan for Downtown London on April 14, 2015 called Our Move Forward London's Downtown Plan.
According to the Master Plan, the downtown London plays an important role in the life of Londoners. It is the cultural heart and the original neighborhood of the city. The downtown is, and has historically been, a critical employment centre and economic engine. It is a pillar of the community and provides the basis for our future prosperity by attracting people to live and invest in London.
One of the proposed project is transformation of the fork of the Thames River. The Forks of the Thames project envisions an urban walkway along the bank of the Thames River and a captivating urban park space at the foot of Dundas Street, linking activity on Dundas Place with riverfront activities. The proposed project is River views will be reestablished to reconnect the downtown and the riverfront. A 2015 design ideas competition for London's central riverfront, hosted by the London Community Foundation, will inform the development opportunities associated with this project.
Riverfronts in cities all over North America are entering a period of rejuvenation. These natural assets, which for the past many decades have not been a focus, are now becoming prominent economic development tools. Creating great riverfront public space has been a successful tool in revitalizing many downtowns, large and small, across the continent. For London, the Forks of the Thames is not only the historical founding site of our city, but it has long been the centre point of social life in London. The project details are given on page 54 of the aforementioned Master plan which can be found at:
https://www.london.ca/business/Planning-Development/downtown/Documents/Our-Move-Forward-LondonsDTPlan-adopted-April-14-2015.pdf
1. Define what is Master Plan;
2. List the effects of this proposed project on the environment by keeping in view the deifintion of the "environment" under the Environmental Assessment Act;
3. List the economic gains from the project;
4. As project engineer, how will you explain the economic gains of the proposed project vs. encroachment into the floodplain and riparian buffer;
5. Who will be your target for public consultation;
6. Consider the social context of the project; and
7. Discuss the institutional frame work for the EA considered for the project (City of London vs. UTRCA).