Three locations in Canada have been singled out as winners in the first-ever competition to identify "Great Places in Canada."

After a four-month process that resulted in more than 6,000 nominations from across the country, the Canadian Institute of Planners announced the winners in three categories Monday: great street, neighbourhood and public space.

The top three in each category are:

Great Streets:

1. Commercial Street, Nanaimo, B.C.
2. Ottawa Street (Textile District), Hamilton, Ont.
3. Broadway Avenue, Saskatoon, Sask.

Great Neighbourhoods:

1. Le Petit Champlain, Québec, Que.
2. The Hydrostone, Halifax, N.S.
3. Snaw-Naw-As (Nanoose First Nation), Lantzville, B.C.

Great Public Spaces:

1. The Forks, Winnipeg, Man.
2. Evergreen Brick Works, Toronto, Ont.
3. Pippy Park, St. John's, N.L.

While each of the winners had to be popular, the CIP's Andrea Gabor says they also had to meet a number of criteria pertaining to how each location met certain planning objectives.

The factors taken into consideration include the promotion of social and economic activities, memorable or unique character and architecture, accessibility, sustainability and connection to local culture, history and landscape.

In an interview with CTV's Canada AM on Monday, Gabor said the winners exemplify those characteristics.

Nanaimo's historic commercial street, for example, had served as the core of that community from its construction in the mid-1800s until the mid 1900s when the city began sprawling outward.

There was great revitalization efforts to bring it back to life and it's now an education, cultural, and institutional centre," Gabor said, praising the street as "a centre for communities."

Similarly, Gabor says the Forks in Winnipeg stands out for a number of reasons, not least of which is its vital role at the centre of that city's cultural life.

"The Forks was special because it brings a lot of people together," she said of the popular site at the confluence of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers.

"It builds on the history and it's got a lot of activities from their market, to their entertainment spaces to the open spaces, trails, archaeological digs, Gabor added, praising its mix of uses and location at the historic heart of the Manitoba capital.

Historical legacy also weighed heavily on the decision to rank Quebec City's Le Petit Champlain neighbourhood as tops in the country.

"It's got great historic architecture and it's a place to be," Gabor said, explaining that the municipal government there has "done a great job" retaining the area's long history while making it accessible for the public to enjoy.

"People come from all over the world to see it and enjoy its architecture and to enjoy the festivals that go on there. So it's a great people place, and that's one of the things that makes it memorable."

The Canadian Institute of Planners, comprised of 7,800 professional planners, says it sponsored the competition to both foster local pride and to emphasize the benefits of good planning.

While the people who submitted the winning nominations win a $500 travel certificate from Via Rail, the locations will be awarded a commemorative plaque.

Buoyed by the strong public response that saw Canadians championing locations ranging from native communities to natural locations, the CIP plans to run the competition again next year.