Ideas/Visions for Ottawa, Canada's Capital

[kevinbottawa]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Watched the video. As I suspected, it's the same one used to try and lure Amazon. They just replaced the word "Amazon" with "Companies".

Still a good video.

Yeah, I battled whether to post the video. Same old Invest Ottawa stuff.

This would be an impressive skyline for Ottawa. I hope a few mature tech companies relocate from Kanata to some of these future developments to speed up the pace of development. Most of them will stay in Kanata, but even if it's just two or three companies that move downtown that would help.

Also, look how out of place the first phase of Claridge's Lebreton project looks.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

The photography museum has long since been replaced by parliamentary committee rooms.

Neat! I've long wondered what is down there since the museum was closed. At least the space is being used!

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

Also, look how out of place the first phase of Claridge's Lebreton project looks.

Truly was a lost opportunity.

[Casablanca]

I've been looking at this thread for a long time now and I love some of the thoughts in here. I have a few of my own which, hopefully, with time I will try to hash out and make more presentable. For now though I'll just say a few quick ones that I might end up working on more:

Rebuild:
Old Rideau Canoe Club (at the end of Fifth at the Canal by the Lily Pond) (designed by Moses Edey (Cattle Castle, Daly Building)
Lansdowne Wooden Entrance Archway (by the previously metioned Club)
Old Lansdowne Coliseum (in one form or another)
Ordnance Building (opposite Commissariat Building (Bytown Museum))
Rideau Club Building (or something else, just please fill in that empty space across from Parliament)

Regrets:
Not lining Parliament up. If you move the Parliament Buildings 37.5m ENE along the same axis as Wellington everything lines up. Peace Tower=Metcalfe, Mackenzie Tower=O'Connor, Confederation Building Peak=Bank, Supreme Court=Kent. Arghh.
Not lining the War Memorial up. Either expand Elgin all the way or don't (and line the Memorial up with old Elgin), but don't go half way.
The suburbs.
Damming the falls.
Not following through on some of the Capital Plans (especially Greber).
Letting the Queensway become a big massive block of concrete through the city.

Hope to be back with more.

[kevinbottawa]

My regrets would include removing intercity rail from downtown and the loss of buildings like the original city hall and the post office building. I'm sure some people would say getting rid of the streetcars.

[Uhuniau]

To hell with Greber.

Holt Plan, people. Holt. Plan.

[Casablanca]

Woops. I meant to say Holt. I especially like the proposed Train Station/Municipal Centre and the West end of Queens. I guess I just wasn't thinking quite right. I also agree that we should've kept the post office and old city hall.

[FutureWickedCity]

Regret: The pointless destruction of the thriving neighborhoods around Old St.Patrick/Lowertown and Lebreton Flats. A sad mess to this day.

[J.OT13]

Old City Hall (old old City Hall?) burnt down, so not much we could have done.

I'm fine with raising of the neighborhoods east of Elgin. It gave us Confederation Park, the NAC (polarizing architecture aside, it's important to have such a large performance venue in our downtown) and the War Memorial, hands down the best monument we have.

For me, the closing down Union, demolishing Ogilvy (maybe I'm alone on that one) and removing the streetcars were the biggest blunders.

[acottawa]

Regret: waterfront almost entirely devoted to surface parking or freeways.
Regret: so much dead space (North end of Elgin, GPT, Sussex)
Need: an indoor attraction that isn't a museum.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by FutureWickedCity

Regret: The pointless destruction of the thriving neighborhoods around Old St.Patrick/Lowertown and Lebreton Flats. A sad mess to this day.

Oh god yes - fortunately, between that and Lebreton, Ottawa escaped the worst of the "urban renewal" movement of the post-war period, and a lot of the areas the were once considered slums renewed and gentrified organically.

[silvergate]

Took a walk by the supreme court/Parliament tonight. I find myself disappointed in the area, it's a really prime spot, between many beautiful buildings, completely dedicated to parking.
Obviously this will probably never happen, but I'd love to see the feds put in some kind of underground parking garage (or build an above ground garage below the cliff), and turn this area into an urban park. Centretown is really lacking in full-size soccer fields, which would be a cool addition there (could convert to community skating rinks in the winter). It would also serve to accentuate the buildings around it, and connect people better with the river and the government.
In my opinion, it's just a really dead space that could use some invigoration.

[Urbanarchit]

Originally Posted by silvergate

Took a walk by the supreme court/Parliament tonight. I find myself disappointed in the area, it's a really prime spot, between many beautiful buildings, completely dedicated to parking.
Obviously this will probably never happen, but I'd love to see the feds put in some kind of underground parking garage (or build an above ground garage below the cliff), and turn this area into an urban park. Centretown is really lacking in full-size soccer fields, which would be a cool addition there (could convert to community skating rinks in the winter). It would also serve to accentuate the buildings around it, and connect people better with the river and the government.
In my opinion, it's just a really dead space that could use some invigoration.

Do you mean this area behind Confederation Building? Yeah, just looking at the Google Maps of that area is a bit of a disappointment and eyesore. Large asphalt like this is really unattractive, and considering this location amongst some of Canada's most beautiful and iconic buildings, it would be nice if they could do something more appealing. The parking lot closer to the river could be a nice location for your soccer field, actually. Might be an interesting thing to consider.

I wonder if they could do something like a botanical garden along Wellington and in behind Confederation and Justice Buildings. And or to bring some more nature up from the river with a MUP. I think it would make that area much prettier and be a draw for tourists. Imagine being amongst floral trees in spring, look up at the Parliament Buildings!

Is the parking lot/ field east of LAC reserved for anything? I wonder if there could be some nationally significant building worth constructing there to "complement" Confederation Boulevard...

[passwordisnt123]

Regret: The building height scheme in downtown Ottawa. If we wanted to preserve the primacy of parliament and also maximize views of parliament, the most mathematically sound way to do so would have been to structure building heights "amphitheatre style".



Each radius is 150m (first one starts at 300m). To maximize views of parliament and remove the ridiculous table-top effect of Ottawa's skyline (the famous 27 storey table), each radii could step up the height restriction by a set interval. If it was 25m, then the heights restrictions in this image would go

• 25m high at 300m from the peace tower
• 50m high at 450m from the peace tower
• 75m high at 600m from the peace tower
• 100m high at 750m from the peace tower
• 125m high at 900m from the peace tower
• etc.

[eltodesukane]

Just like this huge parking taking a big bite out of Vincent Massey Park.
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Ott...!4d-75.6971931

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by silvergate

Took a walk by the supreme court/Parliament tonight. I find myself disappointed in the area, it's a really prime spot, between many beautiful buildings, completely dedicated to parking.
Obviously this will probably never happen, but I'd love to see the feds put in some kind of underground parking garage (or build an above ground garage below the cliff), and turn this area into an urban park. Centretown is really lacking in full-size soccer fields, which would be a cool addition there (could convert to community skating rinks in the winter). It would also serve to accentuate the buildings around it, and connect people better with the river and the government.
In my opinion, it's just a really dead space that could use some invigoration.

Centretown land is far to economically and socially valuable to be wasted on sports fields.

The judicial building project on the west side of the Supreme Court lawn needs to be revived.

[passwordisnt123]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Centretown land is far to economically and socially valuable to be wasted on sports fields.

The judicial building project on the west side of the Supreme Court lawn needs to be revived.

Agreed. And not just because it's necessary but also because if we build something there we will once and for all stop the Tories from reviving that godawful Victims of Communism memorial they were/are still in favour of building.

[zzptichka]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Centretown land is far to economically and socially valuable to be wasted on sports fields.

The judicial building project on the west side of the Supreme Court lawn needs to be revived.

Is it more valuable than in Singapore, DC or San Francisco?

[lrt's friend]

The San Francisco location is not downtown.

[Buggys]

Originally Posted by eltodesukane

Just like this huge parking taking a big bite out of Vincent Massey Park.
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Ott...!4d-75.6971931

That parking lot is not part of Vincent Massey Park. It's associated with the colourful building across the street.