Fountains of My Youth
Remember drinking fountains? They seemed to be everywhere when I was young. Parks, the beach, even the school playground...
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- 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
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."
- May 4, 2021
- 3 min
Walking to School: Not as Easy as it Sounds
"...a lot of Ottawa’s school-age population attends school out of range of what would be a reasonable walk on a January morning."
- May 4, 2021
- 3 min
Why 15 Minute Neighbourhoods are Good for Drivers
"...I’ve set myself the task in this blog to present the advantages of a 15 minute neighbourhood from the perspective of a driver."
- Apr 23, 2021
- 3 min
The Thing About Change...
I've become increasingly sedentary. Most of us have... Over the past few months I've come to the dawning realization that I must change...
- Apr 19, 2021
- 3 min
The Useful Walk... To A Neighbourhood Shop
The unrelenting segregation of housing from retail that characterized post WWII planning, left people with no destination for a useful walk.
- Apr 15, 2021
- 2 min
The Ballad of the Soccer Mom
In the beginning, was the City. And the City was without order. People, wagons, horses and oxen filled the streets. People produced wares...
- Mar 31, 2021
- 3 min
Training Wheels for Walkable Neighbourhoods: Why We Need Transitional Parking
"You can't just jump on a bicycle for the first time and go for a ride! It's time for Walkable Neighbourhood Training Wheels."
- Mar 26, 2021
- 4 min
Density and Infill: A Solution Hiding in Plain Sight
Are dark looming towers and cold apartment blocks the only way forward? Could it be possible that a simple solution, a win for all, is...