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Ottawa's CBD gets flack here for its height limit/tabletop skyline but I'd argue it's actually worked in our favour. What Ottawa's CBD lacks in height it makes up for in density and walkability. Also, being surrounded by tall glassy skyscrapers is overbearing and usually doesn't make for a very pleasant street-level experience (as a skyscraper enthusiast I acknowledge I'm an anomaly).

The real crux of the issue with Ottawa's CBD is that it is too true to its name: a business district. Retail downtown mostly caters to office workers and public servants, and with the lack of full-time residents these businesses have little incentive to operate past 5pm or on weekends. Also, like most Canadian cities the public realm is almost comically unrefined (narrow concrete sidewalks, 3-4 lane one-way streets, street parking, no street furniture/greenery) although the recent rebuild of Queen Street is a step in the right direction. Sparks Street (our pedestrian mall) also has incredible potential but outside a few annual festivals (RIP) the street feels utterly bleak and dated. It doesn't help that the entire northern side of the mall is owned by the feds and almost completely devoid of retail and restaurants.

The Byward Market is also well overdue for a revamp. Fortunately there is a plan to transform the pedestrian experience with higher foot-traffic priority and quality pavers/street furniture within the decade. Chinatown could definitely use some infill but it's still one of my favourite neighbourhoods in Ottawa. Hunger may be influencing that opinion though.

As for the inner burbs, we're lucky to have some decent bones and a few updated main street corridors that are pretty vibrant during the summer. Unfortunately the city refuses to bury utilities and street parking often occupies space that could otherwise be optimized for pedestrian flow and al fresco dining.

The only thing that can redeem the outer burbs is TOD and a blanket zoning overhaul. Merivale Road in particular could be a top-contender on the soul-sucking thread.