Inspirations
In May of 2012, the Stratford Market Square Committee hosted a Discovery Session with the theme “What Would Stratford’s Market Square Look Like in a Smart City?” Panelists included Mayor Dan Mathieson, Lisa Rapoport of Plant Architect, the firm that created the initial plan for renovating the Market Square, and Rick Haldenby of the School of Architecture at the University of Waterloo. Market Square Committee member and researcher, Marianne Brandis was also part of that panel. Haldenby stated emphatically as “The Market Square in Stratford is one of the most promising public spaces in Canada, in North America, ..... I cannot help but think of the Campo in Siena.” The Campo became one of our original inspirations.
As part of the research process in developing our communication strategy, committee members visited nearby public squares in cities of Waterloo, Kingston, and Woodstock. Photos of some of these squares are included as Inspirations in this section of the Photo Gallery. Hold the cursor over a photo to discover location.
Visitors to this page may recognize some of these iconic international squares below, people enjoying a public space, perhaps pausing over an espresso or glass of wine whilst people watching.