Apr 82 minFountains of My YouthRemember drinking fountains? They seemed to be everywhere when I was young. Parks, the beach, even the school playground...
Apr 82 minRural Villages: Tourism Gems, right outside your front doorMy dad was obsessed with the no-motor-vehicle vacation. The perfect trip of hiking, biking, kayaking, cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing...
Jan 62 minThe Wonderful World of R1On October 14th and 15th 2021, the City of Ottawa Joint Planning and Rural Affairs Committee hosted public deputations on the New...
Jan 62 minMy Compliments to the Cut-ThroughDuring 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 63 minIt Takes A VillageA much-favoured term in property marketing is “village”... it evokes a cute, low-rise, dense conglomeration of similar buildings...
Oct 22, 20212 minTree. Human. Car.Tree. Human. Car. The discussion around Ottawa’ Official Plan suggests that we have room for two, but not all three.
Oct 22, 20212 minThe 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, 20212 minEven Cyclists Need Bike-SharingI encourage Ottawa’s considerable cycling community to get behind the Bike-Sharing movement.
Oct 12, 20214 minFlying Blind: the Value of SimulatorsThe value of modeling is clear. Simulation and modeling allow us to understand what is likely to happen under certain conditions.
Oct 8, 20214 minThe 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, 20214 minIntensification Doesn’t Have to Be So Hard – Just Ask the LocalsWhy does intensification have to be so hard? ...Conflict around intensification is rooted in much more than just “resistance to change”.
Sep 21, 20213 minUnfortunately, Betty is Not a CrowImagine 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, 20213 minA Bridge to Billings BridgeNo business can survive without customers. Most businesses will tell you there’s no such thing as too many customers.
Sep 10, 20213 minLive/Work Space in the Post-Covid AgeThrough five thousand years of urban living, people have lived over the shop. Mostly because it was the only possible arrangement.
Sep 10, 20213 minI’m Dreaming of a Bikeable WalkleyWalkley Road connects two of Ottawa’s great recreation areas. On the east end, sits the Mer Bleue conservation area....
Sep 10, 20213 minTime to Face the StreetIf 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, 20212 minIt’s Time We Were Thru with the Drive-ThruNothing 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, 20213 minWhat We Can Learn from Harry the Dirty DogThe most difficult part of advocating for walkable communities in this age, is painting the picture of what they might look like.
Jul 7, 20213 minThe 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."
May 27, 20213 minBanking on a Bathroom at Bank and Riverside"I say we ask for something outrageous on this corner: a truly public bathroom. Right on the corner, with signage, open all year round..."