Market Lands Urban Engagement Strategy
Public City’s Role
Urban Engagement
Team
Blueprint Inc.
Client
CentreVenture
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The Market Lands Urban Engagement Strategy turned contested territory into ground for public imagination. Through collaboration with local artists, Public City transformed an empty plaza between Winnipeg's Public Safety Building and Civic Parkade into catalyst for civic dialogue. A site mural, container kiosk, and playful installations—including a roving bubble-blowing building model—invited the public to see potential in infrastructure marked for demolition. Community design workshops used hands-on models to explore possibilities, while festival programming tested ideas in real time. The strategy proved how temporary interventions and creative engagement can bridge divided opinions about public space and shape future development through a common ground first approach to design and consultation.
