John Thompson
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (May 30/05) - The City of Iqaluit recently won a design award for its plan for the downtown core.

Mayor Elisapee Sheutiapik travelled to Vancouver during the first week of April to receive the award, given by the Environment Design Research Association (EDRA).

Iqaluit is the first Canadian city to receive the award since the organization's inception in 1968, she said. EDRA is an international organization whose purpose is to promote and provide information on improving the relationship between humans and the places they live in. The chance to meet past recipients from countries like Germany, and to have judges from the United States marvel at photos of the smog-free Baffin landscape, made her feel "excited, proud."

The plan was drafted by Laird and Associates in Iqaluit, along with the southern firm Fotenn and the Office for Urbanism. Two years of public consultation went into the design before it was unveiled in the fall of 2004. Sheutiapik said parts of the plan will be introduced as early as this summer.

"It's not quite visible yet, but it's getting there," she said.

Walkways and public square

Pedestrian walkways and a new city square will enter their first phase of construction this summer, said Michele Bertol, director of planning and lands.

The walkways will include both sidewalks, which will run beside main streets, and trails, which will cross the tundra between homes. This summer, logs will be laid along the roadside near the Four Corners and up towards North Mart, creating a barrier between pedestrians and traffic. Safety concerns in that high-traffic area prompted the design, Bertol said. By October, parking should be moved away from the post office - an important gathering place for residents. The path will lead to what planners are calling Iqaluit Square, the currently empty lot in front of the Elders Centre. It's envisioned in the shape of an ellipse, inspired by the rings of stones left from a tent. A drum-shaped stage is planned for the centre. The finished walkways will include artwork from Iqaluit artists.

"It's really meant to be a showcase for local culture," Bertol said.