Quote:
Originally Posted by acottawa
The Ottawa station is 100% suburban. It is a single level facing behind a large front lawn and a long driveway leading from the road. In front of that is a 10 lane highway, in front of that is a big box district. South of the station is the largest big box shopping district in the city. East of the station is a generic 1950s suburban neighborhood, with a tunnel that leads to a 1950s suburban mall. West of the station is a wasteland of arterial roads and open fields.
I a, sure there is some alternative history where they kept the downtown station or built a more urban station (say at the foot of Billiings Bridge), but that didn’t happen. It is a station out of 1950s ideals.
|
It is definitely suburban in nature now, and the road layout is 100% suburban. That said, there is quite a lot of potential for that to change quite soon. There is mid and highrise development planned directly adjacent to the station and the parking lots at the baseball stadium and retail across the highway are primed for intensification. The federal government has just designated the land at Riverside and Industrial for expedited development. Decent biking, pedestrian and transit infrastructure is already in place.
If we are building a HSR station, we are building for the next 100 years, so it isn't unreasonable to plan for a more urban environment.
Threaded Mode