The City of Waterloo is updating its Urban Design Manual

The Urban Design Manual (UDM) is the City of Waterloo's primary consolidated set of design standards, design related criteria, and reference material to help guide the City’s urban design and built form policies. Adopted by Council in 2009, the UDM continues to play a critical role in the development review process, as well as for public realm improvement initiatives throughout the city.

Follow this project for opportunities for input, and to stay up-to-date on progress.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the existing Urban Design Manual and other documents.

Engagement

The City hosted its first in-person public Open House on March 25 2026. The session was recorded and it is available for review on the right sidebar of this page.

The purpose of the open house was to:

• educate the public about the role of the UDM in implementing the City’s Official Plan, Zoning By-law, and new CPP By-law.
• build awareness of how the updated UDM will bridge the gap between high-level policy and on-the-ground design direction.
• gather public feedback on how the guidelines can create a sense of place, inform design quality, and identify key design challenges related to intensification and growth.
• identify priorities for public realm design, sustainability, accessibility, and context-sensitive built form.

There will be another public open house to review the first draft of the updated Urban Design Manual when it is ready.

Give feedback on your urban design priorities and pin your favourite buildings and public spaces on the map below.