Livable City Design Awards

The Livable City Design Awards celebrate Kingston's long tradition of architectural excellence and creative urban management. The program recognizes and promotes excellence in urban design, demonstrates the City's desire for design leadership by example, and assists in raising the quality and image of the City.

There are 23 entries vying for recognition. By voting for the People’s Choice Award, you help decide the public's favourite. Read through the entries and choose your preferred project.

Voting for the People's Choice Award ends Oct. 23 at 4 p.m.

Along with the People's Choice Award, an Award of Excellence and an Award of Merit will be presented at a ceremony later in 2026, details to be announced.

For more information on the Livable City Design Awards, visit the City's Awards page.

There are 23 entries vying for recognition. By voting for the People’s Choice Award, you help decide the public's favourite. Read through the entries and choose your preferred project.

Voting for the People's Choice Award ends Oct. 23 at 4 p.m.

Along with the People's Choice Award, an Award of Excellence and an Award of Merit will be presented at a ceremony later in 2026, details to be announced.

For more information on the Livable City Design Awards, visit the City's Awards page.

2026 People's Choice options

1: Abbey Dawn Road - Flood Protection
This flood protection project addresses existing and future flood risks for the sole connection between Treasure Island and the mainland. Located within an environmentally significant area, wildlife protection, road safety and public space are all enhanced within a constrained area.
2: 595 Bagot Street - St. Vincent de Paul Society
Using an innovative and durable pre-cast concrete modular system to create a civic-quality building that reinforces the streetscape, this new facility provides a welcoming, efficient and dignified space for clients to access a meal program, donation warehouse and other social support services.
3: 32 Bagot Street - Cricket Field
A new baseball facility at Cricket Field was constructed as part of the 2024 Canadian National Little League Championship tournament, bringing a new level of youth sport competition to Kingston. Located in a historic context, the improvements create a functional and accessible space for the community, addressing a facility shortage and supporting multiple levels of play.
4: Bayridge Drive - Active Transportation
Going well beyond the cycling facilities originally planned, this project adds pedestrian improvements, island bus platforms, transit shelters and signal upgrades to create an integrated system with more public benefit and permanent, visible priority to walking, rolling, cycling and transit, supporting use of the overall network.
5: 56 Francis Street - Portsmouth Community Little Forest
Volunteers from Little Forests Kingston partnered with the Seniors Centre to implement three urban accessible Miyawaki Forests, a food forest, and a perennial garden to provide long-term cooling of the building through shade and evapotranspiration. Over 200 volunteers planted 1800 trees of over 80 native and near native species and created many opportunities for public education.
6: 9 George Street - Private Residence
A neglected house which has suffered multiple fires and lost its heritage charm has been transformed through extensive renovations with the utmost attention to detail and reuse of material. This project has taken a detraction from Barriefield village and restores it to an appealing home, enforcing interaction, walkability and human scale.
7: 366 Hargreaves Way - Richardson and Lang Pavilion
Completion of the Lang Pavilion is the culmination of the transformation of Richardson Stadium into a modern, inclusive and community-serving venue capable of meeting the evolving needs of Queen’s University and the broader Kingston community. The two-storey pavilion provides many new resources including specialized spaces for athletic development, team operations and inclusive programming.
8: 141 King Street - Belvedere Hotel and Spa
The Belvedere’s extensive restoration honours the building’s heritage with the highest standards of conservation practice and has returned it to the community as a functioning, economically sustainable destination. The restored exterior contributes to the streetscapes that define Kingston’s image as a historic city.
9: 20 King Street East - Richardson Beach and Bathhouse
Rehabilitation of this important piece of downtown Kingston’s waterfront heritage results in enhanced swimming, shoreline protection, and public access to the water. Balancing modernization and conservation, the beach and bathhouse improvements also included a new lookout, enhanced walkways and ramps, terraced water access, and integrated gathering spaces.
10: 26-28 Maitland Street - Private Residences
This home, now two residences, has been a stable, a garage, servant and student residence, and residential apartments. Renovations address significant structural and code deficiencies, expose steel and timber framing and limestone walls, and incorporate a modern open plan while preserving the historic building form and materials as much as possible.
11: 71 Medley Court - 100 Foot Park
A priority project in the Waterfront Master Plan, this is a revival of a natural waterfront park south of Waaban Crossing. Using a combination of natural and engineered techniques, the rehabilitation strategy improves shoreline resilience, and reconstruction of bridges and stairways improve inclusivity, public access, viewing opportunities, and connectivity, demonstrating that climate adaptation can be seamlessly integrated with community placemaking.
12: 111 Norman Rogers Drive - Rodden Park Playground
In a mature residential community near the central area of the city, this playground redevelopment project consolidates facilities into a single inclusive and intergenerational play destination, with new gathering space and seating options, retention of mature vegetation for shade, and improved connections to memorial trees.
13: 276 Old Kiln Crescent - Model Homes
A new model home that interprets traditional Barriefield architecture while providing contemporary amenities, the design configuration focuses on the porch and house, rather than the homeowner’s vehicles. As part of the redevelopment of a public school site that envisions a 31-lot residential community, this project will provide housing with a common green and will extend the character of the existing homes in the village.
14: 31 Point Crescent - Private Residence
A new waterfront home with creative geometries, this project adopts a ‘less is more’ approach that gives equal consideration to the lake, landscape, access, climate and patterns of habitation. This home serves as both refuge and observatory and is constructed with durable materials chosen to give a strong sense of permanence.
15: 575 Princess - GEOCentral
This mixed-use commercial and residential building with 344 units is heated with 98 geothermal wells and replaces a commercial brownfield site along a key transit and walking corridor. It addresses Kingston’s shortage of housing for students and young professionals while setting a transformative benchmark for environmental stewardship.
16: 1316 Princess Street - Multi-unit Residential Building
A former lumber yard, this 92-unit affordable housing development is located on an express transit corridor and responds to site constraints, budget realities and evolving community expectations. Durable materials, a cohesive streetscape design, and amenities including a rooftop terrace create a home for a diverse range of residents seeking stable, long-term housing.
17: 945 Princess Street - Alcan Research Building
Beyond the renovation of an aging industrial facility, this project is a transformation into a high-quality employment space, a showcase for sustainable development, and a hub for emerging technologies, advanced manufacturing, and renewable energy.
18: 2274 Princess Street - Multi-unit Residential Building
This five-storey purpose-built 232-unit rental building was undertaken to address a prolonged and significant shortage of rental housing in a growing corridor. This project on an underutilized site brings a mix of unit types within a five-minute walk of shopping, dining, parks and transit.
19: 215 Resource Road - IPG Photonics
A purpose-built state-of-the-art facility for production, research and development, and customer support, this highly functional but architecturally refined project with high quality and durable materials demonstrates how contemporary industrial development can contribute positively to city-building objectives.
20: 142 Union Street - Tsi Yakwanahstahsontéhrha - The Outdoor Gathering Space
Providing a visible Indigenous presence, this is part of the Queen’s University response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report. Modeled after Anishinaabeg roundhouses and clad in cedar shakes, it is a culturally validating space that provides an area for traditional ceremonies and is used for teaching, learning, and engaging with Indigenous ways of knowing and being.
21: 99 University Street - John Deutch University Centre
The “JDUC” plays a vital role as the social and cultural heart of Queen’s University, located at a prominent crossroads. The project transformed this historically significant but underperforming facility into an inclusive, accessible and future-focused student hub.
22: Victoria Street - Sydenham District Public Realm Improvements
As part of infrastructure capacity upgrades separating water and sanitary pipes, this project implements a number of road right-of-way public realm improvements including wider sidewalks with bump-outs for narrower crossing distances and careful design to preserve the highest number of existing mature trees.
23: 47 Wellington Street - Faculty 47
Faculty 47 is an adaptive reuse project of a 150 year old heritage limestone school building and bell tower at the front with a contemporary 17 residential unit addition to the rear. With a focus on accessibility and sustainability, this project brings new life to an established downtown site.

1: Abbey Dawn Road - Flood Protection
This flood protection project addresses existing and future flood risks for the sole connection between Treasure Island and the mainland. Located within an environmentally significant area, wildlife protection, road safety and public space are all enhanced within a constrained area.
2: 595 Bagot Street - St. Vincent de Paul Society
Using an innovative and durable pre-cast concrete modular system to create a civic-quality building that reinforces the streetscape, this new facility provides a welcoming, efficient and dignified space for clients to access a meal program, donation warehouse and other social support services.
3: 32 Bagot Street - Cricket Field
A new baseball facility at Cricket Field was constructed as part of the 2024 Canadian National Little League Championship tournament, bringing a new level of youth sport competition to Kingston. Located in a historic context, the improvements create a functional and accessible space for the community, addressing a facility shortage and supporting multiple levels of play.
4: Bayridge Drive - Active Transportation
Going well beyond the cycling facilities originally planned, this project adds pedestrian improvements, island bus platforms, transit shelters and signal upgrades to create an integrated system with more public benefit and permanent, visible priority to walking, rolling, cycling and transit, supporting use of the overall network.
5: 56 Francis Street - Portsmouth Community Little Forest
Volunteers from Little Forests Kingston partnered with the Seniors Centre to implement three urban accessible Miyawaki Forests, a food forest, and a perennial garden to provide long-term cooling of the building through shade and evapotranspiration. Over 200 volunteers planted 1800 trees of over 80 native and near native species and created many opportunities for public education.
6: 9 George Street - Private Residence
A neglected house which has suffered multiple fires and lost its heritage charm has been transformed through extensive renovations with the utmost attention to detail and reuse of material. This project has taken a detraction from Barriefield village and restores it to an appealing home, enforcing interaction, walkability and human scale.
7: 366 Hargreaves Way - Richardson and Lang Pavilion
Completion of the Lang Pavilion is the culmination of the transformation of Richardson Stadium into a modern, inclusive and community-serving venue capable of meeting the evolving needs of Queen’s University and the broader Kingston community. The two-storey pavilion provides many new resources including specialized spaces for athletic development, team operations and inclusive programming.
8: 141 King Street - Belvedere Hotel and Spa
The Belvedere’s extensive restoration honours the building’s heritage with the highest standards of conservation practice and has returned it to the community as a functioning, economically sustainable destination. The restored exterior contributes to the streetscapes that define Kingston’s image as a historic city.
9: 20 King Street East - Richardson Beach and Bathhouse
Rehabilitation of this important piece of downtown Kingston’s waterfront heritage results in enhanced swimming, shoreline protection, and public access to the water. Balancing modernization and conservation, the beach and bathhouse improvements also included a new lookout, enhanced walkways and ramps, terraced water access, and integrated gathering spaces.
10: 26-28 Maitland Street - Private Residences
This home, now two residences, has been a stable, a garage, servant and student residence, and residential apartments. Renovations address significant structural and code deficiencies, expose steel and timber framing and limestone walls, and incorporate a modern open plan while preserving the historic building form and materials as much as possible.
11: 71 Medley Court - 100 Foot Park
A priority project in the Waterfront Master Plan, this is a revival of a natural waterfront park south of Waaban Crossing. Using a combination of natural and engineered techniques, the rehabilitation strategy improves shoreline resilience, and reconstruction of bridges and stairways improve inclusivity, public access, viewing opportunities, and connectivity, demonstrating that climate adaptation can be seamlessly integrated with community placemaking.
12: 111 Norman Rogers Drive - Rodden Park Playground
In a mature residential community near the central area of the city, this playground redevelopment project consolidates facilities into a single inclusive and intergenerational play destination, with new gathering space and seating options, retention of mature vegetation for shade, and improved connections to memorial trees.
13: 276 Old Kiln Crescent - Model Homes
A new model home that interprets traditional Barriefield architecture while providing contemporary amenities, the design configuration focuses on the porch and house, rather than the homeowner’s vehicles. As part of the redevelopment of a public school site that envisions a 31-lot residential community, this project will provide housing with a common green and will extend the character of the existing homes in the village.
14: 31 Point Crescent - Private Residence
A new waterfront home with creative geometries, this project adopts a ‘less is more’ approach that gives equal consideration to the lake, landscape, access, climate and patterns of habitation. This home serves as both refuge and observatory and is constructed with durable materials chosen to give a strong sense of permanence.
15: 575 Princess - GEOCentral
This mixed-use commercial and residential building with 344 units is heated with 98 geothermal wells and replaces a commercial brownfield site along a key transit and walking corridor. It addresses Kingston’s shortage of housing for students and young professionals while setting a transformative benchmark for environmental stewardship.
16: 1316 Princess Street - Multi-unit Residential Building
A former lumber yard, this 92-unit affordable housing development is located on an express transit corridor and responds to site constraints, budget realities and evolving community expectations. Durable materials, a cohesive streetscape design, and amenities including a rooftop terrace create a home for a diverse range of residents seeking stable, long-term housing.
17: 945 Princess Street - Alcan Research Building
Beyond the renovation of an aging industrial facility, this project is a transformation into a high-quality employment space, a showcase for sustainable development, and a hub for emerging technologies, advanced manufacturing, and renewable energy.
18: 2274 Princess Street - Multi-unit Residential Building
This five-storey purpose-built 232-unit rental building was undertaken to address a prolonged and significant shortage of rental housing in a growing corridor. This project on an underutilized site brings a mix of unit types within a five-minute walk of shopping, dining, parks and transit.
19: 215 Resource Road - IPG Photonics
A purpose-built state-of-the-art facility for production, research and development, and customer support, this highly functional but architecturally refined project with high quality and durable materials demonstrates how contemporary industrial development can contribute positively to city-building objectives.
20: 142 Union Street - Tsi Yakwanahstahsontéhrha - The Outdoor Gathering Space
Providing a visible Indigenous presence, this is part of the Queen’s University response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report. Modeled after Anishinaabeg roundhouses and clad in cedar shakes, it is a culturally validating space that provides an area for traditional ceremonies and is used for teaching, learning, and engaging with Indigenous ways of knowing and being.
21: 99 University Street - John Deutch University Centre
The “JDUC” plays a vital role as the social and cultural heart of Queen’s University, located at a prominent crossroads. The project transformed this historically significant but underperforming facility into an inclusive, accessible and future-focused student hub.
22: Victoria Street - Sydenham District Public Realm Improvements
As part of infrastructure capacity upgrades separating water and sanitary pipes, this project implements a number of road right-of-way public realm improvements including wider sidewalks with bump-outs for narrower crossing distances and careful design to preserve the highest number of existing mature trees.
23: 47 Wellington Street - Faculty 47
Faculty 47 is an adaptive reuse project of a 150 year old heritage limestone school building and bell tower at the front with a contemporary 17 residential unit addition to the rear. With a focus on accessibility and sustainability, this project brings new life to an established downtown site.