Mayor Cam Guthrie

On behalf of the City of Guelph, I am thrilled to congratulate the winners of the 2020/21 Guelph Urban Design Awards. Good urban design has the power to uplift, connect, challenge and inspire us. At its heart, urban design isn’t just about bricks and mortar; it’s about people. The winners exemplify the best of urban design in our city. Collectively, these projects make a lasting difference not only to our sense of place, but also to the people who live and work here.

Guelph has a proud legacy of thoughtful planning, and was one of the first planned communities in Canada. With significant population growth planned for Guelph, the way our city is growing is changing, including further intensification and more complete, mixed-use greenfield neighbourhoods. As we grow, we are guided by the vision outlined in Guelph’s Urban Design Action Plan. We know that thoughtful urban design enhances quality of life, makes our city more energy efficient, improves our health, and contributes to financially-sound municipal planning.

Guelph’s Urban Design Awards were last held in 2006 and I am very pleased that, moving forward, the awards will be presented once every term of Council. On behalf of the City, I’d like to thank the jury panel who reviewed the entries. Thank you for your time and commitment to the Urban Design Awards and the City of Guelph.

I invite everyone to take a look at the video showcasing the 2020/21 Urban Design Award winners. You will see some landmarks you know and love, and perhaps discover some new ones. You will undoubtedly find even more reasons to be proud of your city.

Cam Guthrie
Mayor

The artwork I have created for the Guelph Urban Design Awards aims to symbolically infer how the design of successful places characterizes and defines a purposeful and meaningful perspective of the conception of “home.”It speaks to the breadth and notion of home and place as an archetype, a point of connection and a disposition of “being” and “becoming”. This is achieved by utilizing the symbolic and iconic shape of a house – “home” – as a signifier to the range of urban design applications and the importance of conscientious and thorough “placemaking.”

The image of “home” is fabricated from solid brass. The cast bronze figure in association with the image of home is emblematic not only of the recipient of the award, but to the broader population who occupy these public spaces. The figure is modelled in a way that identity, gender and diversity can be projected, allowing a personalized association.

The square, open window in the house image will imply the ability to see beyond one’s own position. Its square shape will mimic the base of the wooden, maple sculpture. The square is universal in its symbolic association of community, balance and new beginnings while representing the four main directions of north, east, south and west. In front of the figure is the acknowledgement to and of the award recipient; engraved on a rectangular brass plate that hints of a welcome mat.

As a result, this urban design award acknowledges the importance of environment and purposeful placemaking metaphorically with a meaningful and significant image associated with people and place.