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- Aug 18
- 2 min
Better Walks in Unwalkable Neighbourhoods
In many neighbourhoods, there are sidewalks, small parks every few blocks, and bike paths behind the houses. All of this should...
- Nov 29, 2022
- 3 min
Birth of a Farmers Market
Residents had the opportunity to envision how the neighbourhood would have to adapt if all of us were to live within a 15 minute walk of...
- May 27, 2022
- 2 min
Pondering a Paddle-able Ottawa
Ottawa is situated where it is, because it’s where the Rideau River empties into the Ottawa River.
- Apr 8, 2022
- 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...
- Jan 6, 2022
- 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, 2022
- 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 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....
- Sep 10, 2021
- 3 min
Time to Face the Street
If there’s one thing everyone on the planet can agree on, it’s that we all hate traffic. We hate being in it, we hate being near it.
- Aug 18, 2021
- 2 min
It’s Time We Were Thru with the Drive-Thru
Nothing is as difficult to incorporate into a walkable streetscape as a Drive-Thru. The whole concept is to be served in the car.
- Aug 18, 2021
- 3 min
What We Can Learn from Harry the Dirty Dog
The most difficult part of advocating for walkable communities in this age, is painting the picture of what they might look like.
- Aug 18, 2021
- 3 min
Advertising the Automobile
Up until 1997, it was legal in Canada to advertise cigarettes. The ads that I remember from childhood consistently promised the smoker...
- Jul 7, 2021
- 3 min
The Transformative Power of a Foot Bridge
"A footbridge makes it practical for the non-driving population to work, live or attend school on the other side of the bridge."