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The City of Ottawa has revealed the results of a year-long public consultation that it hopes will help shape the future of Sparks Street.

The future of the downtown street, which became Canada’s first pedestrian-only mall in 1967, has been keenly debated for decades. Joining Elgin and Lyon streets, Sparks is seen as an important corridor given its proximity to Parliament Hill, hotels and downtown restaurants.

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Through a partnership between the City of Ottawa, the National Capital Commission and Public Services and Procurement Canada, a pop-up office was created at 70 Sparks St. around a year ago. Since then, the city has been holding public consultations and roundtable discussions accepting ideas from the public about what should be done with the outdoor space.

In an announcement at the office on Thursday afternoon, Mayor Jim Watson outlined what the city is calling its Public Realm Plan detailing a vision of what the mall could look like. Based on public feedback, as many as 50 trees could be planted along the pedestrian throughway.