Wascana Centre Authority and the University of Regina unveiled their 2016 Master Plan updates earlier today at Wascana Place.

Throughout 2015 Wascana Centre Authority and University of Regina representatives solicited feedback through public consultations and website surveys. This helped the Master Plan architects to better understand the aspirations, interests, wishes and proposals from our various stakeholders and the public.

WASCANA CENTRE AUTHORITY MASTER PLAN

The Master Plan is a tool that is central to the operation of Wascana Centre Authority. The role of the Master Plan is to ensure that ongoing development, both landscape and institutional, furthers the mandate upon which Wascana Centre was founded - the seat of Government, education and research, cultural arts, recreational opportunities and conservation of the environment.

Chair of the Wascana Centre Authority Board of Directors Mayor Michael Fougere stated, “It really is amazing and special to see the passion our residents have for this city and Wascana Centre. Throughout the consultations that pride and sense of ownership was clearly evident and helped shape this latest Master Plan update.”

Areas currently being worked on throughout Wascana Centre like new trails, improved pathway lighting, upgraded washrooms and overall infrastructure needs are progressing due to the planning direction received from the public consultations and embodied in the Master Plan. Among the many highlights of the new plan is embracing the Prairie landscape. The 2016 Plan identifies limited areas that should receive high maintenance and expands the extent of low maintenance landscape. This will ensure we maintain and enhance some of our well-manicured areas, while converting some of our other areas to a more natural landscape.

Wascana Centre has had a Master Plan in place since 1913 and is mandated to update that plan on a regular basis. The last update to the Master Plan occurred in 2006.

UNIVERSITY OF REGINA CAMPUS MASTER PLAN

The 2016 Campus Master Plan, approved by the University’s Board of Governors in March 2016, provides guidance for uses of on-campus physical space and future development at the University. 

The Plan identifies 30 strategies that set out the essential approach to be followed relative to the various topics that require coordination and forethought as the campus develops. They include strategies for the location and arrangement of academic and communal facilities, the infrastructure of circulation, the land­scape that ties the campus together, and the design parameters for projects as they come on stream.

“The 2016 Campus Master Plan aligns the physical development of our campus with our strategic priorities – student success, research that has impact, and commitment to our communities,” says University of Regina President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Vianne Timmons.  “At the same time, it addresses our two overarching areas of emphasis – Indigenization and sustainability – and in doing so gives us the means to realize the goals we have set together for our University and the communities it serves.”

Strategies  for responsible and sustainable development include using native and hardy tree and shrubs and naturalized grasses where possible, reducing our reliance on irrigation, and collaborating with First Nations to incorporate culturally relevant symbols and settings into the campus landscape.