Pondering a Paddle-able Ottawa
Ottawa is situated where it is, because it’s where the Rideau River empties into the Ottawa River.
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- Apr 8
- 2 min
Fountains of My Youth
Remember drinking fountains? They seemed to be everywhere when I was young. Parks, the beach, even the school playground...
- Apr 8
- 2 min
Rural Villages: Tourism Gems, right outside your front door
My dad was obsessed with the no-motor-vehicle vacation. The perfect trip of hiking, biking, kayaking, cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing...
- Feb 3
- 2 min
Access or Excess?
Discussion around reducing Ottawa’s oversupply of parking is frequently countered with the assertion that vast parking lots are necessary...
- Feb 3
- 3 min
They Planted a Paradise and Pulled up a Parking Lot
There are two ways to fix the stark segregation of residential from retail that characterizes almost all of the post-1945 built environment.
- Feb 1
- 3 min
Small, In-Person, and Outdoors
Our worlds have both shrunk and expanded beyond belief. Every bit of knowledge the world has ever recorded can be accessed in seconds.
- Feb 1
- 3 min
Religion Without Parking
Theologians of every faith debate the value of “faith” versus “good works”. What does this have to do with parking?
- Jan 6
- 2 min
The Wonderful World of R1
On October 14th and 15th 2021, the City of Ottawa Joint Planning and Rural Affairs Committee hosted public deputations on the New...
- Jan 6
- 2 min
My Compliments to the Cut-Through
During this past year of attending meetings related to Ottawa’s new Official Plan, I have been introduced to a new term: the “cut-through”.
- Jan 6
- 3 min
It Takes A Village
A much-favoured term in property marketing is “village”... it evokes a cute, low-rise, dense conglomeration of similar buildings...
- Oct 22, 2021
- 2 min
Tree. Human. Car.
Tree. Human. Car. The discussion around Ottawa’ Official Plan suggests that we have room for two, but not all three.
- Oct 22, 2021
- 2 min
The Wrong Weather for Walking
"...with the snowy season not far off, I’d like to make the case for year-round accommodation of pedestrians in our not-always-fair city."
- Oct 22, 2021
- 2 min
Even Cyclists Need Bike-Sharing
I encourage Ottawa’s considerable cycling community to get behind the Bike-Sharing movement.
- Oct 12, 2021
- 4 min
Flying Blind: the Value of Simulators
The value of modeling is clear. Simulation and modeling allow us to understand what is likely to happen under certain conditions.
- Oct 8, 2021
- 4 min
The City’s Intensification Strategy is Not Just About Adding Density…. Or is it?
The City’s new Official Plan includes some terrific language that suggest a much-needed revised approach to intensification.
- Oct 6, 2021
- 4 min
Intensification Doesn’t Have to Be So Hard – Just Ask the Locals
Why does intensification have to be so hard? ...Conflict around intensification is rooted in much more than just “resistance to change”.
- Sep 21, 2021
- 3 min
Unfortunately, Betty is Not a Crow
Imagine an elderly lady named Betty, living in a senior’s residence in Heron Park. She just witnessed the first snowfall of the season...
- Sep 21, 2021
- 3 min
A Bridge to Billings Bridge
No business can survive without customers. Most businesses will tell you there’s no such thing as too many customers.
- Sep 10, 2021
- 3 min
Live/Work Space in the Post-Covid Age
Through five thousand years of urban living, people have lived over the shop. Mostly because it was the only possible arrangement.
- Sep 10, 2021
- 3 min
I’m Dreaming of a Bikeable Walkley
Walkley Road connects two of Ottawa’s great recreation areas. On the east end, sits the Mer Bleue conservation area....