Mayfield West design plan wins planning award

The Ontario Professional Planners Institute has awarded the Planning Partnership an Excellence in Planning Award for the Mayfield West Community Design Plan.

Mayfield West in Caledon has been designated as a growth area within the Town. The secondary plan for the area proposes that the village accommodate 9,000 people in just under 3,000 dwelling units, along with an employment area near Highway 410. The Community Design Plan for Mayfield West represents an innovative approach to the creation of a pedestrian-oriented urban village incorporating environmental planning and urban design principles on a community scale.

It includes a distinct village core surrounded by a grid road system and green boulevards to connect neighbourhoods. The plan also protects natural heritage features and provides for pedestrian paths, recreational trails, and greenways. An environmental sustainability plan contains principles for the village.

The awards ceremony took place Oct. 4 at Blue Mountain. The ceremony was part of the 2007 conference of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute.

The Excellence in Planning Awards recognize innovation, creativity, professionalism, problemsolving, and communications in four categories: urban and community design, planning studies or reports, research/new directions, and public education. This year's winners were chosen from 30 entries.

The Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI) was established in 1986 and is the recognized voice of the Province's planning profession. Its more than 3,000 members work in government, private practice, universities, and non-profit agencies in the fields of urban and rural development, urban design, environmental planning, transportation, health and social services, heritage conservation, housing, and economic development. For further information on the Excellence in Planning awards and the OPPI, visit www.ontarioplanners.on.ca.