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  #661  
Old Posted Jun 16, 2021, 3:29 AM
Truenorth00 Truenorth00 is online now
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Originally Posted by silvergate View Post
To those saying they are leaving, the reason Ottawa is the way it is is because half the fun people leave - consider staying plz
The city really isn't going to change though. We have a suburban dominated council running the show. And it will be that way forever.

Think of what this city will look like in 2040. Everybody thinks about all the transit lines we'll have finished building. I worry about the reality that Carp will be the new Stittsville and that Embrun will be the new Orleans. The whole region will be one sprawling, congested mess.

The suburban dominated council will have zero willingness to curb sprawl, car dependency and lack of active pedestrian spaces. And those politicians are a reflection of voters who put them in. Jan Harder tells you all you need to know about Barrhaven. Just look at this sniveling Op-Ed she penned with El-Chantiry about the Official Plan changes:

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/ha...mily-dwellings
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  #662  
Old Posted Jun 16, 2021, 1:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Truenorth00 View Post
The city really isn't going to change though. We have a suburban dominated council running the show. And it will be that way forever.

Think of what this city will look like in 2040. Everybody thinks about all the transit lines we'll have finished building. I worry about the reality that Carp will be the new Stittsville and that Embrun will be the new Orleans. The whole region will be one sprawling, congested mess.

The suburban dominated council will have zero willingness to curb sprawl, car dependency and lack of active pedestrian spaces. And those politicians are a reflection of voters who put them in. Jan Harder tells you all you need to know about Barrhaven. Just look at this sniveling Op-Ed she penned with El-Chantiry about the Official Plan changes:

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/ha...mily-dwellings
I sadly agree, city planners like to tout urban intensification while at the same time sprawl continues at a much higher rate.
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  #663  
Old Posted Jun 16, 2021, 1:46 PM
Multi-modal Multi-modal is offline
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Originally Posted by Ottawa Champ View Post
I sadly agree, city planners like to tout urban intensification while at the same time sprawl continues at a much higher rate.
This update to the draft Official Plan also looks to ingrain the juxtaposition between highrise "Hubs" and low-density "neighbourhoods". I'm all for TOD, but we need to encourage wide-spread low-rise densification of our neighbourhoods, and evolve/improve their "character". This is a very unambitious OP - as Truenorth00 says - hampered by a suburban mindset of much of the City residents, staff, and Council.

Last edited by Multi-modal; Jun 16, 2021 at 1:57 PM.
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  #664  
Old Posted Jun 16, 2021, 1:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Multi-modal View Post
This update to the draft Official Plan also looks to ingrain the juxtaposition between highrise "Hubs" and low-density "neighbourhoods". I'm all for TOD, but we need to encourage wide-spread low-rise densification of our neighbourhoods, and evolve/improve their "character"
Unfortunately folks have been up in arms, claiming anything multi unit will ruin the character of the neighborhood. The city has already diluted the draft OP in response to these NIMBY complaints.
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  #665  
Old Posted Jun 16, 2021, 4:06 PM
bartlebooth bartlebooth is offline
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Originally Posted by Truenorth00 View Post
The city really isn't going to change though. We have a suburban dominated council running the show. And it will be that way forever.

Think of what this city will look like in 2040. Everybody thinks about all the transit lines we'll have finished building. I worry about the reality that Carp will be the new Stittsville and that Embrun will be the new Orleans. The whole region will be one sprawling, congested mess.

The suburban dominated council will have zero willingness to curb sprawl, car dependency and lack of active pedestrian spaces. And those politicians are a reflection of voters who put them in. Jan Harder tells you all you need to know about Barrhaven. Just look at this sniveling Op-Ed she penned with El-Chantiry about the Official Plan changes:

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/ha...mily-dwellings
I find people in Ottawa typically complain a lot about the state of the city without working to change things via any sort of grassroots effort (not saying you in particular, just generally). Maybe it's a condition of being in a national capital where things like big events, cultural institutions, etc... typically come top down? I'm not sure. But too many people say "Ottawa sucks" without investing any effort in trying to change it for the better.
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  #666  
Old Posted Jun 16, 2021, 4:27 PM
Truenorth00 Truenorth00 is online now
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I mean what can your average citizen do? I fill out surveys. I routinely send feedback to my city councilor. But all I get back are form letter responses.

Our politicians don't give a shit because most of our citizens don't give a shit. Most Ottawa residents are suburbanites at heart. And they are just fine with the city being a sprawling suburban mess, as long as they get their SFD on their quarter acre with space to park two SUVs. Heck, a good chunk of this forum is like that and will twist themselves into pretzels to justify why Ottawa can't adopt more urban, pedestrian and transit friendly policies. And these are the folks who actually take an interest in this stuff.

Larger cities are being forced to discuss the end of the "Drive till you qualify," mindset because of either geographic realities (Vancouver) or reaching the practical limits of sprawl (Toronto). Ottawa isn't even close to there yet. Heck, our suburban dominated council is even happy to use transit to drive sprawl. Even if it is in a neighbouring municipality which won't pay taxes to Ottawa. See our nice park-n-ride at Trim for all those commuters from Rockland. It's going to get a lot, lot worse before we even start having sincere discussions on how to make it better. And realistically those discussions are easily three to four decades away.
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  #667  
Old Posted Jun 16, 2021, 5:17 PM
bartlebooth bartlebooth is offline
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Originally Posted by Truenorth00 View Post
I mean what can your average citizen do? I fill out surveys. I routinely send feedback to my city councilor. But all I get back are form letter responses.

Our politicians don't give a shit because most of our citizens don't give a shit. Most Ottawa residents are suburbanites at heart. And they are just fine with the city being a sprawling suburban mess, as long as they get their SFD on their quarter acre with space to park two SUVs. Heck, a good chunk of this forum is like that and will twist themselves into pretzels to justify why Ottawa can't adopt more urban, pedestrian and transit friendly policies. And these are the folks who actually take an interest in this stuff.

Larger cities are being forced to discuss the end of the "Drive till you qualify," mindset because of either geographic realities (Vancouver) or reaching the practical limits of sprawl (Toronto). Ottawa isn't even close to there yet. Heck, our suburban dominated council is even happy to use transit to drive sprawl. Even if it is in a neighbouring municipality which won't pay taxes to Ottawa. See our nice park-n-ride at Trim for all those commuters from Rockland. It's going to get a lot, lot worse before we even start having sincere discussions on how to make it better. And realistically those discussions are easily three to four decades away.
You can do more than fill out a survey or email your councillor. Maybe start by challenging the premise you have that Ottawa is only filled with people that are small town hicks uninterested in making a better, more urban city. You'll probably find people that are more aligned with your vision than you think. Do something with those people. To me, it's classically Ottawa to sit around and do nothing about x topic while complaining about x topic the whole time.

Look at what O-Train Fans are building. They created a platform/forum and have gained access to decision makers through those efforts. They're building and growing a community. It's becoming harder to ignore a community than it is to ignore some pissed off dude in a basement screaming at his computer.
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  #668  
Old Posted Jun 16, 2021, 5:34 PM
Truenorth00 Truenorth00 is online now
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Originally Posted by bartlebooth View Post
Look at what O-Train Fans are building. They created a platform/forum and have gained access to decision makers through those efforts. They're building and growing a community. It's becoming harder to ignore a community than it is to ignore some pissed off dude in a basement screaming at his computer.
That's a bunch of rail fans stanning about the O-Train. They get some interviews and the odd opportunity to input. Cool. But counting that as substantial advocacy is really debatable. The city ain't going to really let them drive transit policy in any meaningful capacity.

And at the end of the day they are just a transit advocacy/fan group. There's no real urban advocacy group. Ecology Ottawa comes close. And I've had some exchanges with them. But again they've been around for a while with little to no effect on civic policy. Not their fault. It's just the nature of this town. Heck, they contributed substantially to the same Official Plan proposals that are now being watered down by suburban councillors.

In an interview with Jason Slaughter of Not Just Bikes, on the Strong Towns podcast, he discusses why him and his wife made the decision to leave Toronto for Amsterdam. And a big part of it was that they realized that advocacy wasn't really going to deliver substantial change in their lifetime, and that life was too short to put up with crap. His wife even served on board of Cycle Toronto for a year while they lived there. So one can hardly accuse them of not trying. I'll certainly advocated for better while I live in Ottawa. But I am increasingly coming around to the same viewpoint as his.

Last edited by Truenorth00; Jun 16, 2021 at 5:46 PM.
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  #669  
Old Posted Jun 16, 2021, 5:50 PM
bartlebooth bartlebooth is offline
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Originally Posted by Truenorth00 View Post
That's a bunch of rail fans stanning about the O-Train. They get some interviews and the odd opportunity to input. Cool. But counting that as substantial advocacy is really debatable. The city ain't going to really let them drive transit policy in any meaningful capacity.

And at the end of the day they are just a transit advocacy/fan group. There's no real urban advocacy group. Ecology Ottawa comes close. And I've had some exchanges with them. But again they've been around for a while with little to no effect on civic policy. Not their fault. It's just the nature of this town. Heck, the contributed substantially to the very Official Plan proposals that are now being watered down by suburban councillors.
Sure, and that might be all they want. But that's not really the point I guess. The point is that building/fostering a community of like minded people is one way of challenging the status quo. Does it mean the city will magically change as a result of some sort of community initiative, obviously not. But there is certainly a zero percent chance you'll see anything improve if you don't change your current approach (filling out survey's). At the very least, you might find people with similar views that think, "Oh, cool, Ottawa has a community of people that also want less suburbia. I never expected that. Fun."
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  #670  
Old Posted Jun 17, 2021, 2:11 AM
Peenermcnoober Peenermcnoober is offline
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The impression I've gotten from Truenorth and Harley613 over the years has never been about fostering any ideas or connections. It's only about sounding smarter than others to help them feel better about hating where they live. At least Harley has awesome drone shots actually.
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  #671  
Old Posted Jun 18, 2021, 8:52 PM
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Group wants public washrooms part of Ottawa’s Official Plan
The plan is headed for implementation this fall and will guide development until 2046. The current draft only mentions public washrooms once.

Rebecca dePencier • Capital Current
Publishing date: Jun 18, 2021 • 29 minutes ago • 5 minute read


As staff considers a final draft of the city’s Official Plan, the advocacy group GottaGo! Ottawa is injecting new urgency into their pressure to include a network of accessible public washrooms as part of the city’s future.

The plan is headed for implementation this fall and will guide development until 2046. The current draft only mentions public washrooms once.

The group has sent an open letter calling for safe, clean and accessible public toilets. It was sent to Mayor Jim Watson and city council on May 17.

City manager Charmaine Forgie responded on May 19, stating that the city recognizes “that publicly accessible washrooms provide an important public amenity.”

Forgie highlighted areas of the plan that could include improvements such as public washrooms but said that the Official Plan’s role “is not to identify a strategy for the provision of public washrooms.”

An interim report to address community concerns about the Official Plan was released June 10 and made no mention of the continued push for public washrooms.

“We are always engaging with the city and our engagement is based on partnership,” says Lui Kashungnao, of the GottaGo! campaign. “How can we support you to make Ottawa an inclusive and livable city?”

As it stands, city planners are prioritizing self-contained neighbourhoods where services, amenities and businesses are within easy walking distance, the so-called 15-minute neighbourhood.

“The key message of the New Official Plan is that Ottawa has to be a walkable, livable city,” says Kashungnao. “So how can you make a walkable city, when there is no public toilet?”

A representative from the Mayor’s office stated that “Mayor Watson looks forward to seeing the Official Plan before Committee and Council this fall, and for a healthy debate at that time.”

None of the city’s councillors responded to repeated requests for comment.

GottaGo! Ottawa has has success in the past. In 2014, the group submitted a petition with more than 1,000 signatures to city officials calling for public washrooms in O-train stations. In the original plans there were no additional washrooms beyond the provincially required ones in the terminus stations at Tunney’s Pasture and Blair.

On July 8, 2015, Ottawa City Council unanimously voted to include public washrooms at the Bayview and Hurdman stations on Line 1.

“It seems to me that the city is still listening, even though they are reluctant, and that because of our ongoing campaign, whether they admit it or not, they put in two more public toilets in Bayview station and Hurdman station,” says Kashungnao.

Kelly Ann Jobson, who has Crohn’s disease, says looking for a washroom is the first thing she does when she goes out, which has kept her largely at home during the pandemic.

“I did not actually leave my house, other than to do a grocery pick-up, until February,” says Jobson. The reason she stayed at home for 11 months was because she genuinely “wasn’t sure if there would be access to a washroom.”

The city has a map of washrooms in public buildings and parks with accompanying hours of service but the information does not appear to have been updated to reflect COVID-19 closures.

Kashungnao says the COVID-19 pandemic has shown how inadequate and dysfunctional the current system of public washrooms is.

“When everything shuts down, then people have nowhere to go,” she says. “The mapping, the plotting that we are doing, that the city is doing, becomes meaningless.

“COVID-19 protocols require additional monitoring and cleaning of high touchpoints in washrooms,” Dan Chenier, general manager of recreation, cultural and facility services, said in an email to Capital Current. “For this reason, washroom operating hours are aligned to programming at the site when staff are available to perform these functions.”

Public washrooms in some parks reopened for the May long weekend and “washrooms located in other City parks will reopen as summer programs officially start and staff are on site to occupy the buildings,” Chenier says.

But even before the pandemic, Jobson remembers being refused the washroom at a Shoppers Drug Mart when she was shopping with her daughter.

Having to rely on store washrooms and then being denied is an issue for many.

“When we rely on the private sector to deliver these services they get to decide who’s worthy of using their bathrooms,” says Shantz.

Shantz, who worked in homelessness services for several years, points out that people who are street involved are often not permitted to use washrooms in private businesses, nor are young children.

Jobson recently relocated to Nova Scotia but continues to support the campaign for more accessible public washrooms from afar.

“It needs to go nationwide and it needs to be brought to the forefront because it impacts so many people and everybody uses the washroom,” she says. “Some of us just need it a little more frequently than others.”

Citizens concerned about the issue may register online to attend one of the various public sessions the city is holding to discuss feedback from June 22 – 28.

“We’re going to be participating in those and if people would like to join us, the more the merrier,” says Stephanie Taylor, another core member of GottaGo! Ottawa’s campaign team.

Ottawa residents can also add their name to the group’s letter, contact their city councillor or their local community organization, share information on social media or just talk to their friends about the issue, says the GottaGo! Ottawa core team.

“Everyone agrees on our team that it is not just a GottaGo! campaign. It is an Ottawa campaign, it’s the citizen’s of Ottawa’s campaign. And we are here together,” says Kashungnao.

There is really no end to the work the group is doing, whether public toilets end up being prioritized or not, says Taylor.

“We’re advocating hard for this year, for this New Official Plan, but the work will continue and we’ll find new and innovative advocacy strategies to try and partner with the city to improve public toilet access.”

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...-official-plan
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  #672  
Old Posted Jun 19, 2021, 9:03 AM
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I agree public washrooms aren't within the mandate of the official plan, but there should be an official plan for public washrooms. This is basic like access to water.

A lot of people don't get it. Unless you've lived with a bladder or intestinal issue, there's little understanding.
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  #673  
Old Posted Jul 26, 2021, 4:23 PM
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https://engage.ottawa.ca/the-new-official-plan

Revised official plan is out, mostly just word changes and earring down intensification goals for urban areas as expected considering the push back that has been happening.
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  #674  
Old Posted Jul 31, 2021, 7:03 PM
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City releases more changes to draft official plan as fall vote nears

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Jul 30, 2021 • 17 hours ago • 3 minute read


The city’s revisions to the draft official plan attempt to assure residents that neighbourhoods won’t be overwhelmed with tall buildings as it aims establish more than half of all new homes in existing communities through 2046.

Thirteen sections of the draft official plan have been updated and posted for public review as of early Friday afternoon as the city moves closer to completing a proposal that will be sent to council for final approval this fall.

Paul Johanis, chair of the Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital, says volunteers have been combing through the revisions to keep on top of the city’s proposed policy directions.

The Greenspace Alliance is a member of the People’s Official Plan, a collection of organizations concerned about climate and social justice issues in the chief planning document of the City of Ottawa.

Johanis agreed that the revisions appeared to de-emphasize intensification at the neighbourhood level, focusing instead on adding density to hubs and corridors.

“I think the city got a big reaction to the neighbourhood intensification plans, but our view is they didn’t do a good job of explaining it,” Johanis said.

As expected, the city has ditched the word “regeneration” to describe intensification in the revised documents. Phrases like “growth allocation” have been replaced with “intensification targets” and the city has removed a chart that suggested how 92,000 new homes would be allocated between hubs, corridors and neighbourhoods. The city had been aiming to embed 47,000 new homes at the neighbourhood level through intensification.

Instead, the city is recommending targets of 49,000 homes designed as ground-orientated and large-household dwellings and 43,000 designed as apartments and small-household dwellings. The city has included target densities for more communities.

In a section describing building heights, the revised document says hubs all through the urban and suburban areas could have buildings up to 40 storeys. In the downtown core, the city is proposing to decrease maximum heights on main-street corridors to nine storeys (previously 12 storeys).

The city has been establishing “special districts” requiring extra-special treatment because of their importance to the city. The seven proposed districts are Parliament and Confederation Boulevard, Rideau Canal, Ottawa International Airport, ByWard Market, Lansdowne Park, the Ottawa River islands and the Kanata North business district. The recent revisions raise the possibility of an eighth district: Bayview Yards and a potential “innovation village.”

An overarching concept of the draft official plan is the creation of 15-minute neighbourhoods, which have amenities within short walks or bike rides. The revisions provide more explanation about the city’s intentions for existing areas that aren’t 15-minute neighbourhoods. The city says it wants to “seed them and permit them so that they can materialize over time.”

Johanis said his group was still concerned about the proposed expansion to the urban boundary and, despite council’s endorsement of adding suburban development land, he believed “that’s still in play” before the final vote.

While Johanis credited the city with posting the revisions in a way that allowed people to compare changes with the previous version, he said many observers were still apprehensive about how the process was unfolding.

“We’re right in there in the trenches. We have a large groups of people working on this. There’s real concern and dissatisfaction with process,” Johanis said.

“I think people feel it’s the dead of summer and this is still being rushed. There’s still a need to really engage with communities in a way that hasn’t been done in terms of concrete modelling of what can be expected.”

jwilling@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...all-vote-nears
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  #675  
Old Posted Aug 2, 2021, 3:05 AM
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Originally Posted by Sauvanto View Post
Nice, a few new observations on the transit side of things:

1. The Cumberland Transitway is still in play, but if you look closely it's now been changed to an at-grade transitway, with a new multi-traffic boulevard being built in the preserved corridor

2. I don't know why Marketplace LRT station keeps showing up on their plans, but it's still there...

3. The Gatineau-Bayview connection for Line 2 has finally been removed

4. Transitway extended to "Kanata North" station, very cool

5. 3 infill stations next to Limebank, seems excessive but I'm guessing it's just many options

6. Renaming of some Phase 3 stations: Meadowlands, Medhurst, Arcadia, Centrum (Orleans)

7. There's still this cluster of 3 stations around Mooney's Bay, wondering why it's not combined into one big blob but whatever...
The answer to pretty much everything you just stated is that the Master transportation plan hasn't been updated as of yet. On hold until after the next municipal election. So I wouldn't read anything into the posted schedule A-Series.

because its just a placeholder merger combination of approved plans and the old master transportation network plan.
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  #676  
Old Posted Aug 4, 2021, 5:00 PM
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I moved several TMP related posts to the appropriate thread; as Williamoforange said the TMP process won't be completed until after the new OP is approved.
https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=240917
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  #677  
Old Posted Aug 6, 2021, 4:06 AM
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I was checking out Schedule B of the re-released draft OP, and I appreciate how the "evolving overlay" has been applied in a much more consistent fashion this time around.

For example, in the previous draft pieces of Rockliffe Park and Manor Park that were very close to designated Mainstreets (Beechwood and St. Laurent) weren't labelled as evolving or transforming - it really seemed at the whim of the planners with no justification:


This time around, its all just based off of radiuses depending on proximity to a minor Corridor or a Mainstreet. Its much more consistent, hence areas close to Beechwood and St. Laurent are logically included:


It also means areas that are very internal to larger neighbourhood blocks aren't as targeted for intensification. For example, the area of North Vanier around Richelieu-Vanier Community Centre that isn't close to Beechwood, Montreal Road, or Marier.
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  #678  
Old Posted Aug 12, 2021, 3:00 PM
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@RiverWardRiley https://twitter.com/RiverWardRiley/s...32157612814336
Official Plan - Final Report and Revised Meeting Dates

September 29 - Public Open House

October 14 - Joint statutory meeting of Planning & ARAC

October 27- City Council consideration of the report on the final draft of new Official Plan
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  #679  
Old Posted Aug 16, 2021, 11:44 AM
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How walkable is your Ottawa neighbourhood? This new map will tell you
Study part of city's official plan to create more 15-minute neighbourhoods

Nicole Williams · CBC News
Posted: Aug 05, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: August 6




Bel-Air Heights, Gloucester and some areas of Alta Vista are just a few of the least walkable neighbourhoods in Ottawa, according to new mapping done by the city.

New studies of the entire city take a look at how well-suited areas are to being a "15-minute neighbourhood." With the population expected to grow to two or even three million by 2046, Ottawa City Hall is hard-focused on urban intensification instead of sprawl. The official plan sees the creation of residential hubs where people can get to most of their daily destinations — schools, grocery stores, public transit, parks and libraries — within a 15-minute walk from their homes.

This new study is "the first step at understanding the components of a 15-minute neighbourhood as they evolve across Ottawa's urban, suburban, and rural transects," reads a statement on the city's website.

It scores both access to services and amenities, as well as "the safety and enjoyability of the pedestrian environment with respect to walking to these services and amenities."

Neighbourhoods that scored higher in the study were mostly centrally located, however Bel-Air Heights, Gloucester and Alta Vista were all rated average to poor.

"Nothing there is surprising at all when you look at how the neighbourhood is currently constructed," said Marty Carr, president of the Alta Vista Community Association.

"We don't really have any small shops or services in the core of Alta Vista. You really have to go to the periphery to find those businesses."

While Carr is happy to see the study completed, she said what's important to know now is how the city plans to invest in and follow through with the concept of 15-minute neighbourhoods.

Roland Dorsay, who sits on the board of the Federation of Citizens' Associations of Ottawa (FCA), an umbrella organization for 57 community groups across the city, called the mapping "very much welcome," but said important elements are missing, including consideration for tree cover.

Dorsay said while the study does map out walkability to green spaces like parks in Ottawa, "the ability to walk to main streets in shade when it's sunny and hot in an increasingly warm environment is significant."

He said residents also want the opportunity to provide feedback on the mapping studies.

Residents are looking at "how 15 minute neighborhoods are going to evolve in ways that impact them," he said. "They want to have some say in that process."

A full report on the 15-minute neighbourhood study will be released in the fall.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...core-1.6129864
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  #680  
Old Posted Aug 16, 2021, 11:44 AM
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Maps illustrate challenge with creating '15-minute neighbourhoods' in built-up areas

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Aug 16, 2021 • 1 hour ago • 2 minute read




City-produced maps that show how close people live to important amenities like grocery stores and parks illustrate the challenges in trying to create “15-minute neighbourhoods” out of many established communities.

The maps, published in the lead up to council considering a final draft official plan this fall, show where the city needs to focus if it wants more people to have access to amenities without having to get in a car.

A 15-minute neighbourhood is one where people can safely walk to amenities in that time. It’s one of the guiding principles for the city as it develops a new official plan that will manage residential development to 2046. Council will vote on the draft plan in October.

The trick is not only designing new communities as 15-minute neighbourhoods, but also, as the draft official plan says, “direct residential growth within the built-up urban area to support an evolution towards 15-minute neighbourhoods.”

According to the maps, much of the inner urban area has good access to services and amenities, but there are several pockets of the outer urban area, suburbs and rural villages considered to have poor access.

The city surveyed residents about what they considered to be the most important amenities, with grocery stores landing at the top of the list, followed by parks tied with retail spaces.

The city might have to manage expectations when it comes to creating 15-minute neighbourhoods in built-up areas.

In fact, the city has adjusted the language in an edit of the draft official plan when it comes to 15-minute neighbourhoods to reflect goals that might be more achievable.

For example, where the previous draft called to “improve public amenities and services within 15-minute neighbourhoods,” the edited version simply aims to “improve public amenities and services.”

Other changes soften expectations for anyone thinking the city can easily transform a community into a 15-minute neighbourhood. Proposed policy directions now emphasize the “evolution” process of becoming 15-minute neighbourhoods.

When it comes to retail, part of the challenge is the official plan doesn’t dictate the kind of business that should exist on a street. The land is usually marked as “commercial” and the market conditions ultimately dictate what kind of commercial uses set up shop.

The city has woven the 15-minute neighbourhood concept into two years of developing what has become a controversial official plan process.

The exercise has become a prime example of reconciling competing interests in land-use planning.

The city needs to have plan to accommodate a growing population and people have to live somewhere. It means either pushing the development boundary farther out and expanding the suburbs to create new communities, or stacking homes in various-sized buildings in established communities. Urban sprawl requires more municipal infrastructure to support homes, while intensification causes controversy when tall buildings encroach on low-rise communities.

The city has announced it’s pushing council’s final decision on the draft official plan to Oct. 27.

A joint committee meeting allowing public presentations will happen a month later then previously planned, giving people more time to read the changes and prepare their arguments. The first day of the committee meeting is now scheduled for Oct. 14.

jwilling@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...built-up-areas
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