Urban Design

«Living around the Tramway» is a work of reflection on Rimouski City’s transportation system and their impact on citizens’ lifestyle. It was a work in two phases:In the first phase, we decides to implement a tram-train on the existing train rail crossing the city in order to create a link between villages, reduce car dependency, and increase density around the future tram stations. We chose to increase density by creating polar points around tram stations by using tactical urbanism. In provinding services through the mobile tram wagons, we could achieve this goal. Moreover, using the train rail crossing the city was the very unique element that could a give a visual and physical link to the citizen to the St-Lawrence river and improve their daily lives. This phase was done in team of 4 people.

In the second phase, we split our team in two. Our team decided to plan an intervention in the city center while the other planned something in the rural area of the city. Our project involves the restructstuction and reorganization of the fabric around the shopping center «Carrefour Rimouski» located in Rimouski-East. This project meant to be a “standard model” of best practice for future interventions on the urban fabric of the city center. The restructution aim to create a polar points in the city centered on the tram stations. Around those, it would be possible to live, work and live within 5 minutes of walk.

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The actual traffic flow

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Urbanisme tactique

Procuring various services to

citizens through daily moving wagons

Tactical urbanism

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

The temporary services schedule 27

In this proposition, we wanted to transform the shopping center, currently acting as a barrier, as an element articulating the different areas of use (industrial, residential, commercial and river (see diagram p.30)) found in the chosen sample.The re-weaving the urban fabric was, among others, the result of the extension and the creation of some streets, but also, it was the result of the diversion of traffic delivery trucks from the Industrial Boulevard to the rue du Havre, which was extended to the port. These roads changes have made 2 things possible:First, the movement of the main industrial delivery road in the industrial zone, made it possible to implement new office buildings and services for industrial use of both sides of Industrial Boulevard to create a better transition interface between commercial and industrial areas. This road has a new function and is now pedestrian friendly.Secondly, the diversion of the industrial traffic lanes resulted in the reduction of the traffic in the lanes at the north of the mall. They are now disproportionately wide. This allowed a reduction and a reorganization of the routes. This action resulted the creation of a public place facing the river and linked to the mall.

Adding and removing streets to redirect traffic onto alternative routes

The deviated traffic flow results in giving a new public access point to the river

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The Mall:A consolidation taking into account the normal lifetime of a mall (50 years) was made at the north of it. In other words, if at the end of its life the mall is going to be destroy, the consolidation has been done to transform the land where the mall is located in 3 new blocks. In case where it would be rebuilt or renovated, the new shopping center passages will ensure permeability between the areas of use of this long-term tissue. In the short term, this permeability is ensured by the introduction of a new main entrance on the front side of Industrial Boulevard and with the implementation of a new tram station on this road. In the long term, it will be ensured by the new consolidation. In this new consolidation, the parking has been moved at the back of the shopping. A park and a newly built neighbourhood replaced the old parking. The roof of the new shopping center acts like a physical link between the industrial and the new neighbourhood.

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The new roads

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Adding doors and hallways to create pedestrian connections to the surroundings

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Reconstructing a mall connected to its surroundings8

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Implantation of the tram system and construction of a new

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Demolition

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The entrance to the north public place from the mall (the new public access point to the river)

The TypologiesCommercial - Industry

Low density housing -Mixed use - Office

The public place at the north of the shopping center seats the tram station and mobile wagon services. This new public square serves as an articulatory element between different use zones and allows easy access to the river. The consolidation made around this public place has been done in order to create visual and physical links to the river and to surrounding streets. It also ensures legibility and permeability of the urban fabric.

The North Public Place

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The new access point to the river

Monday

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The skate rental mobile wagon can be found on the northern public place

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The mall

TuesdayThe Christmas Market mobile wagon can be found on the northern public Place

Section 1 - The new link between the residential. the commercial and the industrial zone

Section 2 - The new link to the river created by the construction of the plaza

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The mall