Erin Riediger

TOD-Bibliotek

TOD-Bibliotek investigates the potential for a library to act as a catalyst for vibrant, social Transit Oriented Development. New urban districts are appealing for their creative approaches to multi-tenant architecture, adjacency to transit stops and well-maintained outdoor environments. Despite these amenities, emerging urbanist developments often struggle to promote rich public life, something that is naturally apparent through years of growth and lived activity in established neighbourhoods. Libraries are one of the last remaining truly public spaces. They can act as a third place between work and home for human interaction. The neighbourhood library has the potential to be a place of learning, activity and leisure that helps to weave together the fabric of a new neighbourhood.

What might the concept of a library focused on connection rather than collection provide for new urban developments? Does a library have the potential to ground a neighbourhood, promote public life and create a greater sense of community?

In Winnipeg, the idea of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is emerging. It proposes generating and revitalizing vibrant walkable communities adjacent to transit. TOD is a strategy for smart city growth that builds on planning principles and urbanism. Winnipeg is a mid-sized slow growth city; advances in density and public transit lags other major Canadian cities and struggles to gain public support. Despite these challenges, TOD is a vital tool for cities to build a sustainable future that hopes to support the lifestyle changes of new generations and an aging population.

This thesis project will explore how the development of a neighbourhood library can act as a generator for dynamic social TOD in the Winnipeg context. The future eastern corridor of Winnipeg’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is likely to run through Winnipeg’s French quarter, St. Boniface towards its industrial end. A library at the intersection of a mature community and a repurposed industrial pocket could act as a social connector, providing an impetus for vibrant community growth.