Land Use Terms#

Complete Communities Direction Strategy 2.0#

The city-wide secondary plan that accompanies OurWinnipeg 2045, providing detailed guidance on how and where growth should occur in Winnipeg. It directs the highest residential and employment densities to areas best served by transit, establishes residential intensification targets, and identifies priority greenfield phasing.

Why it matters: Complete Communities 2.0 is the policy foundation behind Winnipeg’s infill housing zoning amendments, corridor and mall rezoning, and transit-oriented development priorities. It addresses the challenge of urban sprawl that saw Winnipeg’s settlement area nearly double from 1971–2019 while population grew by only 37%.

Learn more: Complete Communities 2.0 | OurWinnipeg — Planning for our shared future

Exchange District National Historic Site#

A 20-block area in downtown Winnipeg designated as a National Historic Site of Canada, comprising approximately 150 heritage buildings from the early 20th century — including warehouses, financial institutions, and early terracotta-clad skyscrapers. The district anchors Winnipeg’s arts and culture scene.

Why it matters: The Exchange District is one of the most intact collections of early commercial architecture in North America. Its heritage protection under both provincial and municipal frameworks constrains demolition and exterior alterations, while special Downtown Winnipeg Zoning By-law provisions support adaptive reuse.

Learn more: City of Winnipeg — Exchange District | Exchange District Wikipedia

Greenfield Development#

Construction on previously undeveloped land at the urban fringe, requiring new infrastructure (roads, water, sewer, transit).

Why it matters: Winnipeg has historically grown primarily through greenfield expansion, which has outpaced population growth and created unsustainable infrastructure costs. Complete Communities 2.0 establishes phasing requirements for greenfield development tied to the Infrastructure Plan, prioritizing infill and densification of existing areas first.

Learn more: Complete Communities 2.0 | 2024 Infrastructure Plan

Inner City#

The older, pre-war residential and commercial neighbourhoods surrounding Winnipeg’s downtown core — including the North End, West End, St. Boniface, Osborne Village, River Heights, and the Exchange District. These areas were largely built during the streetcar era (1882–1955) at higher densities than post-war suburbs.

Why it matters: Winnipeg’s inner city contains much of the city’s walkable, transit-served housing stock. It also includes areas of concentrated poverty, particularly in the North End. Complete Communities 2.0 designates inner-city areas as priority zones for infill and reinvestment.

Learn more: OurWinnipeg 2045

Nonconforming Use / Nonconforming Building#

A legal land use or building that no longer conforms to current zoning regulations because the zoning was changed after the use or building was established.

Why it matters: Many of Winnipeg’s older buildings — especially in established residential neighbourhoods — are nonconforming under the current by-law. The 2025 infill housing reforms reduced the scope of nonconformity by making duplexes and fourplexes conforming uses in most residential zones.

Learn more: City of Winnipeg — Zoning

OurWinnipeg 2045#

Winnipeg’s primary development plan — the highest-level land use policy document governing the city’s physical, social, environmental, and economic development through 2045. Adopted following a major community engagement process, it replaced the previous OurWinnipeg 2011 plan.

Why it matters: OurWinnipeg 2045 is the statutory foundation for all city planning decisions. Complete Communities 2.0 is its companion direction strategy. Together they set the framework for zoning by-law reform, infrastructure investment, and housing policy.

Learn more: OurWinnipeg | Engage Winnipeg — Planning for our shared future

Portage and Main#

The intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street in downtown Winnipeg — often described as the coldest and windiest corner in Canada. Historically the commercial heart of the city and symbolic of downtown Winnipeg.

Why it matters: The underground pedestrian concourse at Portage and Main was opened to vehicles in 1979, famously closing the crosswalks. In 2018, a city referendum resulted in keeping the intersection closed to pedestrians — a decision that remains controversial among urbanists. The nearby True North Square development and proposed downtown transitway are part of broader efforts to revitalize the area.

Learn more: CBC — Portage and Main crosswalks | True North Square

Streetcar Suburb#

A residential area developed along electric streetcar lines in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, characterized by higher density, mixed-use commercial corridors, and walkable block sizes.

Why it matters: Winnipeg’s streetcar system operated from 1882 to 1955 — one of the longest-running in Canada. Neighbourhoods built along streetcar lines (Osborne Village, Corydon Avenue, Portage Avenue, Main Street, St. Boniface) retain their walkable urban character to this day. The end of streetcar service accelerated post-war suburban sprawl.

Learn more: Winnipeg Transit Wikipedia

Upzoning#

Changing a property’s zoning to allow greater density, height, or a wider range of uses.

Why it matters: Winnipeg’s 2024–2025 rapid zoning amendments represent a broad upzoning of most residential land — allowing fourplexes where only single-family homes were previously permitted. This is a significant policy shift intended to address the housing supply crisis and support Complete Communities 2.0 goals.

Learn more: City of Winnipeg — Infill Housing

Last updated: March 2026