Streetsville Main Street Square

Our objective was to lead a public life study and visioning process that would later inform the complete redesign and programming of the square.

Streetsville’s Main Square is a small public space located at the centre of the historic Streetsville neighbourhood. It is surrounded by local shops and heritage buildings and is walking distance to the Credit River and a number of community service centres.

Due to its central location, the square serves as a natural gathering point. However, residents expressed that the space felt too small, dominated by surrounding vehicular traffic, and neither comfortable nor inviting.

On behalf of the City of Mississauga, 8 80 Cities led a public life study and visioning process that would later inform the complete redesign and programming of the square.

We also tested out different seating arrangements. While the permanent benches in the square remained vacant, people instantly took to the temporary picnic tables that we had set up –evidence that the square needs more diverse seating, especially those that would accommodate people in groups.

One of the most popular ideas was to expand the square by removing all of the adjacent car parking spots. Community members were also passionate about animating the square, honouring local history and culture, adding high-quality flexible seating, improving food and retail options, and adding more greenery.

Our findings and recommendations were integral to shaping the design and programming of the square. Renamed as the “Streetsville Village Square” and completed in Summer 2014, it now features curbless sidewalks which allows greater flexibility for hosting large-scale events, a covered stage, bistro-style public seating, iconic yellow umbrellas and red paving, and improved lighting.