Ottawa – Carleton University and the Batawa Development Corporation have created a unique partnership that will help the Ontario village create a model sustainable community for the world.

Twenty-seven Architecture and Industrial Design students are spending the summer developing new designs and plans for the old shoe factory and the surrounding village.

Four student groups have developed different visions for the factory, which has been vacant since 2004, ranging from a focus on urban agriculture to a place for recreation and events. The students have been interacting with the people of Batawa and incorporating their ideas into the designs. Other students are envisioning new plans for the existing Batawa ski hill and chalet, while additional students are working on plans to upgrade the many trails around the scenic site, situated on the Trent River just minutes from Belleville. Among their thoughts─a memorial trail for founders and heroes and a trail that will showcase student designs and act like a museum for future work.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for Carleton students from different programs to work together,” points out Architecture Professor Stephen Fai. “Down the road, there will be even more opportunities for interdisciplinary partnerships.”

Katherine Graham, Carleton co-ordinator of the Batawa Initiative, says the project has caught everyone’s imagination. “There are so many different aspects to the Batawa Development Project that should keep Carleton students and faculty, from all kinds of disciplines, busy for a long time and allow them to engage in real-world opportunities.”

Faculty are also involved in the project. In keeping with the “green” theme, Professor Patricia Ballamingie is planning to develop an urban agricultural strategy for Batawa. The goal is to turn Batawa into a vibrant, community-based food system and central marketplace for Quinte West produce. “There are already so many exciting local food initiatives that have occurred in such a short span of time,” says Dr. Ballamingie.

Carleton’s involvement in the project grew out of a spontaneous discussion last fall between Sonja Bata and Carleton President Roseann O’Reilly Runte. Mrs. Bata says she is delighted at the input. “The students are providing innovative ideas, concepts and things we can’t even imagine yet. Batawa is a living laboratory for the students.”

The Carleton designs are part of Mrs. Bata’s comprehensive vision. The wife of Batawa founder Thomas J. Bata, founded the Batawa Development Corporation to strategically develop some of the land in and around the village.

Using sustainable development practices and partnering with the community, the idea is to create a village that is “beautiful by nature and design.” All development will strive for a silver LEED rating under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Neighbourhood Development program. An additional 500 residential units are planned for the first phase of redevelopment, expected to be completed within the next 10 years, bringing the total number of residents to 610. Long- term plans call for a further 500 residential units. This will be accompanied by commercial, industrial and recreation development and conservation activities. A new village centre will include a civic square, retail services and offices. The shoe factory will be brought back to life and the existing ski hill and chalet improved, while other recreational facilities will be built. The planned community will also offer residents cultural and intellectual pursuits.

“We’re delighted Mrs. Bata is giving us this opportunity,” says Thomas Garvey, director of the School of Industrial Design. “She loves students and that’s our business, so we are a great fit. We’re training the people she needs to make her dream come true and, in return, our students are getting a fantastic opportunity to apply their skills.”